Even though "Pushing Daisies" has officially passed away for a month now, I will just say that I will NEVER stop talking about this show. I will occasionally-oh, who am I kidding?-I will frequently talk about a special moment in 'Daisies' history or revisiting an old episode and discovering for the first time a witty line or a hidden look of longing between the characters. Don't worry, I won't blab on and on about the series (at least, I will try to restrain myself), but I will place a line in other blog entries. For this entry, I will share favorite moments that transpired over the series, and soon I will post and share my goodbye letter to a show I supported, championed, and ultimately, loved.

Favorite Final Ned/Chuck Scene: In Season 1's "Dummy," when Ned and Chuck held hands through a plastic glove and sat next to each other through a secure plastic divider wall. The dazzling smile from Chuck makes me smile. But it's the slow-developing grin of Ned (the one that starts off small but eventually overtakes his entire face) that makes my heart melt and my spirit soar. Gosh, just thinking about it makes me turn into a pile of mush and lament the fact that 'Daisies' is actually-gone.

Favorite Emerson Line: There are so many, it's impossible to list all! But some of my top favorites include: "That idea just made a stupid idea feel better about itself," "Shut the A Capella up!" "I'm about to dose the both of y'all with a scoop of shut-the-fudge up," "[imitating Chuck] Hello evening news! I'm Lonely Tourist Charlotte Charles. I just crawled out of my grave, and here's how. Hee-hee."

Favorite Character(s): My favorite characters by a mere thread probably are the aunts-they are certainly the most underrated. As for the placements of the others-I can't decide! They are all so brilliant!

Favorite Episode: Probably the "Pie-lette". But any episode of 'Daisies' is great. I especially enjoy the two other Fuller-penned episodes, "The Fun in Funeral" and "Bzzzz!" For Season 1, I loved "Pigeon" and "Smell of Success" besides the pie-lette and in Season 2, I loved "Frescorts," "Dim Sum Lose Some," and "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy."

Favorite On-Screen Duo (not couple): Besides Ned and Chuck, I loved Olive and Emerson together in "Merle McQuoddy," and Chuck and Emerson were an equally great pair in "Window Dressed to Kill," my personal favorite episode of the last three aired from May 30.

Favorite Guest Star: Diana Scarwid as Mother Superior who was an instrumental part of the first three episodes of Season 2 (especially in "Bad Habits") and made a brief appearance in "Window Dressed". The experience character actress was hilarious as the deadpan nun and stole her scenes with formidable scene-stealers like Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride. My only quibble? That at one point during her brief visit, that Ned did not call her "Mother" (a reference to Jaye Tyler fans out there).

Favorite 'Daisies' Locale: As we all know, a trippy yet entertaining location for a murder is practically embedded into the 'Daisies' formula. Although I absolutely loved the richly textured department store and Chinese restaurant (both with creative twists), my favorite set to date is without a doubt that of the bee factor in Season 2's entertaining opener. Besides the dialogue (which took advantage of any bee-related words/synonyms such as "hive," "buzzing," "honey," etc.), the set and costumes all were in honey-hued colors of orange, yellow, and brown as well as designed in geometric shapes and polygons resembling those of a beehive. The design was a perfect introduction to an amazing season, packing in the stunning art direction we had loved so dearly.

Favorite 'Daisies' Murder: Easily the death by scratch-n-sniff from "Smell of Success" was my favorite-and the most creative, too. Also: "Bitter Sweets" had the death by doll strangulation, which was both satirical and creepy. Now really, are you going to see THAT on CSI? I didn't think so.

Is there anything I would've liked to see? Of course, the possibilities for other episodes/storylines for 'Daisies' are endless. After all, a show like this can pretty much do whatever it wanted because of its quirky nature. For guest stars I would've DIED to see, definitely the quirky and appealing Zooey Deschanel and a wink-wink appearance by Caroline Dhavernas would've been most welcome. Peter O'Toole would have been superb to see as well (he might have given Jim Dale a run for his money in the theatre voice/narration department!). As for storylines-I would liked to have seen a few more references to classic movies...perhaps a "Casablanca"-like episode in which Ned/Rick, now the proud owner of his own restaurant (in this case, The Pie Hole) meets the girl of his dreams who left him years ago Chuck/Ilsa (which, of course, fits into the 'Daisies' universe-remember when Ned and Chuck were separated as preteens?). And Emerson playing 'As Time Goes By' at the piano would've been a hysterical sight to see. Besides that, an "Arsenic and Old Lace"-based episode would have been too funny! Ned playing the Cary Grant role of Mortimer, Chuck portraying the Priscilla Lane role of Elaine, Emerson and Olive investigators, and of course Lily and Vivian playing the crazy aunts. (If you wanted to get even more in depth, you could have Ned's half-brothers playing "Teddy Roosevelt" and Jonathan.) I would have loved an homage to Agatha Christie parlor murder mysteries as well. As for side plots, a distinguished food critic could have made a visit to the Pie Hole, causing some stress for the Pie Maker. Obviously, there are so many more "could have been" options to explore, including the plots mentioned in the finale-Emerson's reuniting with his daughter, Olive and Randy have happily ever after and she opens up her macaroni and cheese business, and the aunts know that Chuck is alive-spreading the door wide open for Ned, Chuck and the aunt's happy ending.

Perfect Soundtrack: Wow, I would have loved Fiona Apple to have written and sung a song for 'Daisies'-she's a fantastic musician, singer, and lyricist, and her style is definitely offbeat and quirky, perfect for the series. Regina Spektor's quirky style would fit just as well.

That's a list of my favorite moments during the show. I will add my final goodbye letter to 'Daisies' in a few days. Thanks for reading, and leave thoughts you have on the show as a whole and/or the finale itself. Personally, I loved it. It honestly was as perfect as a finale could be-the ending was what 'Daisies' was: beautifully enchanting, delightful, and mesmerizing.

Hello, all!

First and foremost, let me extend my apologies to all you loyal lostdaisy3 readers for not getting on top of these blog entries! I've been REALLY REALLY busy lately-yeah, I know that's no excuse for my lack of effort, and I'm very sorry! So I just wanted to deliver to each of you a sincere thank you for your patience waiting for new columns. Times have been hectic, and I needed to take a short break that, well, lasted longer than anticipated. But I'll try to keep things going here! And luckily, we're getting into the summer months now, so there will be plenty of news happening in the TV world! So let's get to TV talk!

Since these blogs are coming so late, this will definitely be yesterday's news. But can I just say: Oh my God. Lost! That was...too much for words! First, those two cliffhangers! With "pseudo-Locke" and the "Incident"! The obvious answer would be that yes, Locke did die (or at least the Locke that we grew to know for four and a half seasons), and that a new soul inhabiting a body that looks like Locke is out and about, causing trouble and persuading a vengeful Ben to kill...Jacob?! You mean Jacob can be killed? I don't know what to say and how to react-it was just insane! Jacob, now we know, is at least four hundred years old (that opening scene with him on the beach must be dated at least to the 1600s, including the full ship sailing on the clear water). Now that "pseudo-Locke" is in control (or appears to be), who knows what Season 6 will bring. That reminds me...next year is IT. The final season of Lost debuts in mid-winter (January/February) and ends in the spring of May 2010. What on Earth will we do without our beloved Oceanic survivors? I don't know how I'll fill that void...Lost was one of the most groundbreaking, progressive shows in recent memory. But before I get too sentimental, let's discuss "The Incident." It remains to be seen still if in fact it WAS the fault of Jack or if it was fateful. But whatever the reason, one cannot admit to not getting teary-eyed over Juliet's "death" (I know that's a double negative, but who cares?). I cried. Yeah, I did. It was the first Lost death I ever shed a tear over. That's not became I'm a cold, heartless person. But for whatever reason, Juliet's death was strangely...moving, in the cry your eyes out kind of way. I felt my heart sink a thousand feet at the sight of Juliet being dragged underneath. Sawyer and Juliet's romance this season was surprising...and beautiful. For the first time in many seasons, I felt myself rooting hard for a couple in the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-Juliet love quadrilateral. Sawyer and Juliet's pairing actually made sense...and Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell brought palpable chemistry together. By the end, I felt that it would destroy me to see them not getting the happy ending they deserve terribly. So fast forward to Juliet hanging onto Sawyer's hand by a mere thread, and I'm dissolving into tears. Juliet was definitely one of my favorite characters this season, and one of the best introduced mid-series. Her introduction was absolutely seamless, thanks to brilliant writing and an understated yet phenomenal performance by Ms. Mitchell herself. And to see her get that for her ending...it seemed wrong. Hopefully that ambiguous ending means that Juliet is not truly dead...or perhaps she is, meaning that the rest of the people at the sight are as well. We don't really know. I just would love to see Juliet back in action next season, wouldn't you? But with Ms. Mitchell's starring role on ABC's reboot of the '80s sci-fi series, V, I don't know if that's possible. Fingers double crossed. And can't wait for next year's final season to see what the hell has been going on!

Moving on to...NCIS. While not nearly as fascinating as Lost, it's still good TV and strangely addictive. This season ended with the DiNozzo-Ziva sensual tension boiling to anger and violence, after DiNozzo killed Rifkin in self-defense. Ziva's leaving NCIS? Whaaa...? And Ziva's getting beaten to a pulp in order to confess some secrets about NCIS agency off Cape Horn? Double whaaa...? All I can say is: I'm definitely intrigued! NCIS' hiatus will certainly be more bearable than Lost's, since it will be returning in September. I'll miss Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, and the gang until then.

And finally...the finale of my beloved, beloved, beloved Pushing Daisies. *Sigh* I don't want to discuss it here-I'll save a separate blog entry as my special goodbye coming up. Just thinking about it makes me want to sob.

Oh, might I make a suggestion? TCM is running two of my favorite movies this weekend-Notorious (with the awesomely amazing pair of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman) on Saturday and The Philadelphia Story (with the superb trio of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart) will be aired on Sunday. If you don't have anything set to watch, definitely watch these. These are essential ICONS.

Katharine Hepburn. When that name is said, what comes to mind? Fiery spirit? Stubborn independence? Proud strength? How about immense talent? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Today, May 12th (also known as Ms. Hepburn's birthday) TCM salutes an iconic screen star, for her lasting impact on modern film--and for her personality, namely how she is not afraid to share her outspoken views (seen in the famous Dick Cavett interview from the 1970s).

As an actress, she was magnetic. Especially during her younger years, Hepburn was a stunning beauty. It was impossible to not look at her. Those finely-sculpted cheekbones and that lovely porcelain skin could easily keep you glued to the screen. Every breath she took made you sigh. Every movement, every line delivery, was magic. In her earlier work (out of her extensive filmography), Hepburn portrayed (usually) a more emotional, vulnerable character than what is seen in her later work (and what is intrinsically associated with her)-that domineering strength. She was incredibly versatile-she could play the sweet role (in 1938's "Holiday"-more on that later), the funny/nutty role (in the iconic screwball comedy "Bringing Up Baby"), and the strong role (in 1951's "The African Queen," 1940's "The Philadelphia Story," practically any Tracy-Hepburn film, to name a few--the list is endless).

In honor of her memory, I will analyze what I deem to be one of the best (if not THE best) performance that Hepburn ever gave in a film-"Holiday". In the movie, Hepburn plays Linda Seton, an unhappy socialite who feels restless, despite the fact that her family possesses a large amount of money. Enter in Johnny Case (Cary Grant-sorry Spencer Tracy, but Grant was Hepburn's best co-star), a down-to-earth man who is engaged to Linda's sister, Julia (Doris Nolan). Linda seeks adventure and spontaneity, and so does Johnny. They are a perfect match for each other (the chemistry between Grant and Hepburn melts off of the screen). Linda is considered a "misfit" by her sister and affluent father, Edward Seton, Sr. But Linda receives help from her lovably alcoholic brother, Ned (played to perfection by Lew Ayres) and Johnny's erudite and witty friends, Nick and Susan. While Grant is (as always) fantastic, funny, enthusiastic, and energetic (his circus training comes into play here, as Johnny performs many flips and turns-one, might I add, that includes Hepburn herself), the film itself belongs to Hepburn. It is a different side to the actress that many people might not know-it's a vulnerable Hepburn. Although the character of Linda is confident, there are moments where her façade falters-where the inside feelings are shown. Hepburn lets you in, but pulls you out before it becomes too heavy or depressing. She creates a multi-faceted character in the space of 90 minutes-something very few actors can accomplish; sometimes, it takes years and years for a character on a television series to develop. But Hepburn, an experienced theatre thespian, does it with ease and emotion. The film itself is, in my opinion, one of the best films ever made. It's witty without being too over-the-top or self-aware, sweet without being saccharine, and inspirational without being preachy. "Holiday" contains a pointed message-what is life really meant for? Is it to gain material possessions, or to truly "live," to follow what we want to do? (I think you can answer that question yourself.) In short, "Holiday" is a perfect film to view to see what great of an actress Hepburn was.

Hepburn was Hepburn. Talented, strong, never one to back away from a challenge, she held an impressive body of work that will continue to inspire a generation of future actors and moviegoers.

There will never be another one like her.