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Post by joe17 on Jun 25, 2007 8:52:00 GMT 1
Some gossip column piece has her going to the States for nine months of filming on 'P.D.'. Nine months?! I thought U.S. TV was famous for its tight, conveyor-belt-like shooting schedules. Can't put too much credence on a snippet but think it is safe to say that Anna will be pretty busy for a while. Certainties on 'Angel Makers' seem to have vanished (what price on it becoming one of those lost projects like 'Night Witches' or 'Blood Relative') and how is 'Goal3' going to fit in (as if I cared and anyway I guess her role would probably take about a week to shoot). ( Was Helen Mirren ever definitely on the IMDB 'Angel Makers' cast list? She certainly isn't there now.) While on the subject of lost projects, does anyone know what the cancelled, Australian-set film she was meant to shoot with Michael Caine was going to be called?
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Post by davec on Jul 1, 2007 10:02:00 GMT 1
Here's another view on 'Pushing Daisies' from today's edition of the UK Sunday newspaper 'The Observer'
Everybody's talking about Pushing Daisies, a Fox show starring Anna Friel. 'It looks completely unique - like Amelie,' says David Smyth. It's got that certain mystical ingredient 'buzz', but when I finally get to see it, I think they're all mad. It's so mannered and its script could come straight from a How Not to Write a Screenplay book. It's all tell and no show (voiceovers are big this year, pace Desperate Housewives). Jay Kandola, the ITV buyer, must think it's going to be a big hit though, as she's bought it for a rumoured 'lot of dosh'.
It'll be nice when we get the chance to find out for ourselves.
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Post by joe17 on Jul 1, 2007 10:50:42 GMT 1
Yeah, saw this piece online . Looks like the newspaper article missed out the dig at Anna's American accent which appears in the online version. As the piece was written by someone called Carol Cadwaladr it is best to ignore it. (Never trust posh journos (especially 'media' correspondents) and always be suspicious of people with alliterative names. Mad maybe, but you've got to have a system, and this one works for me.) Can't see what the article is really meant to be about, beyond pointing out (the obvious) that TV execs make some howlingly bad acquisitions sometimes. P.S. Did you notice how she has 'P.D.' down as a FOX production. If she can't get this right why would you want to believe her on anything else. I'm not cheerleading for 'P.D.', it might be a pile of twee garbage for all I know, but this article has 'agenda' and 'preconception' written all over it. (This may seem paranoid, but Anna has been around long enough now to have made plenty of enemies. Why single 'P.D.' out for special treatment? I mean, here's betting that Michelle Ryan's 'Bionic Woman' is not exactly a meisterwork and that La Ryan doesn't do a particularly stunning U.S. accent.) There has been plenty of sniffiness about ITV's acquisition of 'P.D.'. I've been guilty of it, not being a fan of the network, but wouldn't go all out to trash everything they touch.
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Post by davec on Jul 25, 2007 17:14:34 GMT 1
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Post by joe17 on Jul 25, 2007 18:20:49 GMT 1
Nice find davec. Exactly the sort of stuff I never find because of a fear of web-wandering.
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Post by davec on Jul 26, 2007 17:22:30 GMT 1
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Post by Dave on Jul 26, 2007 22:15:38 GMT 1
NIce find with the screengrabs and press pics davec !!! (she does look a bit lagged although I understand she's been over there for a while...) I have the first episode now on DVD and am working on my own lovely screengrabs.... ;D They will added to the site over the weekend...I hope...
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Post by davec on Jul 27, 2007 6:37:46 GMT 1
Dave - nice to see you back on the Forum - I thought for a minute you'd deserted us I look forward to the screengrabs, but more important, is it any good? I'm not a great fan of these super-stylish, over-polished TV shows where the 'actors' seem to try and behave like runway models with over-emphasised body movements and over-rehearsed poses. They can be like watching a film in sign language I hope this will be a bit more natural, even if it's a quite far-fetched fantasy. Please let us know what you think, and how long you reckon the writers can keep the audience interested in a pretty flimsy central plot devise. Cheers
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Post by joe17 on Jul 27, 2007 9:29:17 GMT 1
Beverly Hills Hilton? Big League, babe! There are some pretty cheesy grins being pulled at that ABC press call, Anna included. Maybe the rictus grin is responsible for her looking a bit rough. Then again maybe it's just being in L.A.. Went there once, am not the first to say it was like Hell, with cars. Do you think the 'P.D.' premiss is flimsy, davec? I can think of a million and one ways they could use it. They're claiming the show will have a strong 'procedural' element and the crime show angle alone should keep them in ideas for a while. Just keep those fingers crossed that the writing holds up. Will be interested to read your review, Dave.
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Post by Dave on Jul 27, 2007 10:56:30 GMT 1
Yes , still here, been a little busy over the last week or so, but working on a few things including new piccies, adding some magazine intervews etc.
I'll sort out a review (of sorts) for "PD" - S01E01 and post it here later. 'Tis very good !!
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Post by davec on Jul 27, 2007 16:06:07 GMT 1
Dave - I'm pleased you think it's very good. That is the general view of critics, for what that's worth. For me, it's more a question of their ability to sustain the quality and interest over many shows. There seems to be some consensus that the cost of producing the pilot episode was significantly more than the budget for the series episodes, and that is what you would expect. How will audiences react if the series episodes seem cheap in comparison? Joe17 - I agree about the awful cheesy grins. They are so wide they make it look like the actors have put in the wrong set of false teeth Must be a real strain on the face muscles! The producers and cast seem to be emphasising the love interest between Anna's character and Lee Pace's as the key focus of the series. It seems to be all about the dilemma of them being in love and wanting each other but not even being able to touch. They are really trying to cash in on the attractiveness of the two leads and the on-screen chemistry. That's fine as far as it goes, but to my mind that has a pretty limited shelf-life. I'm not sure how much the murder-solving aspect of the plot will be developed in the series - and if it is, it's going to be pretty repetitive waking up a murder victim, asking them who killed them and then letting them die again, gathering the evidence, bullying the murderer into a confession and picking up the reward. Again, this has initial novelty value but I don't see a large audience staying with it. We'll see over the next few months, but I don't see more than one series - just like 'The Jury' - unless Anna and Lee can somehow instill their characters into the American popular culture psyche. Less attractive stars have done so, so there is hope
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Post by joe17 on Jul 27, 2007 18:43:46 GMT 1
Agree in parts with you davec. Certainly if they go down the thwarted romance route.... Seems to be much play on appealing to female viewers in the way it is being marketed. I've had real problems with U.S. 'female orientated' shows in the past, being totally unable to watch 'Sex in the City' or 'Desperate Housewives' for instance. Don't think the comparison with 'The Jury' really holds up. From what I can gather 'The Jury' was a very ordinary courtroom drama (albeit one with Barry Levinson involved). I've never bought Anna in serious stuff (as I've banged on about before) and certainly didn't buy her as a crusading lawyer. U.S. telly shows with a much lower profile than 'P.D.' have a decent 'look' to them, so I wouldn't worry too much about the visual quality of the show deteriorating. I still believe there is more scope in the central premiss than you have outlined. Given good writing and decent characterisations anything is possible. If you read that New York Times piece the people behind the show seem very confident of what they going to do with it. Just pray that the Friel-Anti-Midas-Touch stays away this time. (What sort of job security is Anna going to have in this show? With one little touch.....)
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Post by joe17 on Jul 28, 2007 9:44:20 GMT 1
Nice job on the screengrabs Dave. Only problem now is that I feel I've seen the show already.
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Post by Dave on Jul 29, 2007 12:46:11 GMT 1
LOL joec.... I did think I'd gone a little over the top on them , but still they look good !! The show can now be downloaded online from various sites - go for 1 of the main torrent sites rather than sites throwing it up in little chunks... or I can send a DVD copy with the return of tapes/other DVDs ? (Also sometimes I wonder if my time, work and effort is appreciated for others to just go and nick everything I do.....without credit... - It may be soon that rare pictures arent posted onto the site or members area )
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Post by davec on Jul 29, 2007 14:10:11 GMT 1
Dave - I understand your frustration. It seems to be only Joe17 and me who have anything to say on this forum and yet the number of 'views' shows that a lot more people are looking and probably taking the pics you post. No doubt you have stats for the main website that also show the number of hits and downloads. I'm afraid it's just symptomatic of human behaviour - the internet is fairly unregulated and when there is no, or little, rule of law some people will show no respect and disregard even the most elementary moral values in the pursuit of personal gain. It amazed me that people were shocked that a few folk stole water and vandalised bowsers in Gloucester recently - I would have been surprised if they hadn't! In one of my other hobbies I occasionally post my own photographs on newsgroups or Yahoo groups and I'm amazed at where they later turn up on the internet, normally without credit let alone permission! I tend to take it as a compliment rather than get angry, but I'd be spitting tacks if it was my livelihood at stake. Anyway, to get back on topic - I too have enjoyed the 'Pushing Daisies' screencaps. I've read so many articles about this show that I'm sure the plot would have held no surprises for me. I particularly like Anna in the red dress showing her legs but I'm not too sure about her hair with its funny fringe at the front. It reminds me of Lily Allen and I guess it's supposed to make her look younger Anyway, please keep it up, your site has become the premier Anna site on the web and I enjoy being able to comment on this forum and discuss the finer (or not so fine) points of Anna's career. Oh, and yes please, I'd like a DVD of the PD pilot if possible when you get round to sending back my tapes - no rush All the best Dave
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