325 replies to this topic

[TudorQueen]

Multiple-threat performer Kristin Chenoweth plays Olive Smoot, Pie Hole waitress and possible rival for our hero's affections, given that she can actually be touched.

I'm a huge fan of Chenoweth, having seen her on stage in "Wicked" and "Steel Pier", as well as practically wearing out her charming album, "Let Yourself Go". She's a Tony winner, for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown", and was the basis for the character of Harriet Hayes in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" [for which many have never forgiven her, it seems]. She's had a couple of failed tv series, but was part of the "West Wing" ensemble for the last two years, as Annabeth Schott.

I think she has a tough job here, given the positioning of Olive as a foil to childhood sweetheart Charlie, but I believe the pint-sized dynamo is up to it.

[sweetjane]

I hope they don't go the typical love-triangle route and make her only purpose to be a threat to the Ned-Chuck romance. I'm not too worried though, I have a feeling I'll be just as sympathetic to her character and that she will stand on her own. I think Chenoweth is adorable, and I can't wait to have her sing on the show (and fingers crossed for an all-musical episode...). I love seeing the extreme contrast in height between her tinyness and Lee Pace's tallness.

[Supervixen83]

Hmm, I think it's Olive Snook, but I might be wrong, of course.

and fingers crossed for an all-musical episode

That would be amazing!

[Illyria B]

It's Snook.

If the show does get the back 9 episodes, Bryan Fuller has to deliver a musical episode. He can't go back on a comment like that, especially not with a cast like this.

[TudorQueen]

::blushes:: I think you're right - it's Snook. Can a mod fix that, please, and not hate me too much?

[Choo Choo]

She annoys the shit out of me. Her squeaky voice hurts my ears.

[Illyria B]

She annoys the shit out of me. Her squeaky voice hurts my ears.

I read a lot of those kinds of comments before the show started and I wasn't very familiar with Kristin before PD, but I really liked her as Olive. Not a very squeaky voice at all. At least not in Pie-lette.

Edited by Illyria B, Sep 29, 2007 @ 12:03 AM.

[IamDcontraband]

I think you will learn to love her character once you see her on screen. She's quite amusing and I wouldn't hate her just yet.

[Rinaldo]

She's a giant talent (I've seen her onstage in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and in 3 Encores! presentations: Strike Up the Band, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Apple Tree), but one that can be kind of hard to use well in the TV medium. I found her self-titled sitcom (the devout Christian gal who can still Get Down...) just kind of embarrassing, and didn't feel that she really fit into the West Wing world seamlessly. But in the right role, as part of an ensemble and with a savvy director who makes sure she doesn't turn up the cutesy too far, she could be sensational.

And yes, her vocal gifts are exceptional. In addition to her solo CD, there's the video Candide with the NY Philharmonic (the hack stage direction there hurts her overall performance, I think, but there's no doubt that she can sing the hell out of that challenging showpiece "Glitter and Be Gay").

[MoreRidonkulous]

I loved most of the pilot, but I found Ms. Chenworth's character to be VERY annoying.

[Marbree13]

I love Kristin and i can't wait to watch this show it looks good.

[IamDcontraband]

I loved most of the pilot, but I found Ms. Chenworth's character to be VERY annoying.

I think that's the purpose of her character. She's kind off the comic relief in the show. I was flabbergasted when she told Chuck "does he touch you?" That was priceless. I agree of her voice being too squeeky but again, there's always someone in a show where you tend to love to hate.

[American Snob]

I love KristinChen, she's awesome!

Anything she's in is really good in particular The West Wing, Ugly Betty and Wicked . Hopefully the fourth time's a charm with PD.

[TudorQueen]

We actually own the Great Performances "Candide" and I love her in it. She does a bang up job on "Glitter and Be Gay" and I adore the way she 'dismisses' Patti LuPone's Old Lady in one scene.

I'm hoping that "Pushing Daisies" works because she [among others in the cast] really deserves a hit, but I also hope it doesn't take her away from the musical stage for too long. Can one have one's cake and eat it too in such a situation?

[sweetjane]

When Kristin was on The View earlier this summer, she mentioned that she had signed onto The Ghosts of Versailles with NY's Metropolitan Opera in 2010. She said if the show was still going then she'd have to arrange to take time off, or work it into her schedule, or something. Then again that's 3 years from now....

[Wild Roses]

I love KC.

I hope PD doesn't distract from her doing musicals in the future either. My thinking is that if PD succeeds, she probably do limited runs (The Apple Tree, for example) or concerts (like the Encores series). The tv industry seems fairly understanding and willing to compromise so an actor can still do stage work. For example, John Glover did a 4 month run as the Man in Chair on Broadway---the Smallville people giving him an extra month off. So we fans might be able to have our cake and eat it too. (ABC also stole Audra McDonald from Broadway. So, they had better be willing to compromise. Much as I love having KC and AM on my tv screens, I still want to purchase Broadway material that they would participate in a as well.)

I've never actually seen KC live, but thanks to youtube have been able to see her Wicked and The Apple Tree.

She has a hilarious guest spot on Frasier where she plays his agent.

[dealan]

When Kristin was on The View earlier this summer, she mentioned that she had signed onto The Ghosts of Versailles with NY's Metropolitan Opera in 2010.

Yeah, and she hit this amazing high note for so early in the morning. (For those of you who missed it, Kristin on the View. Be warned though, there's a tiny preview scene with her as Olive.) Good that she continues to work on her voice even though she's still doing television and film. I think she is looking to try a bunch of different things, but she's been on the record in many places about "always going back to the stage."

It probably translates into more of the same that we've had from her as of late- more limited runs and concerts- rather than headlining shows with long runs like Wicked since the prep work alone for shows like that take a long time. Wicked, for example, required a commitment of almost 3 years and while you can do other work, you have to prioritize accordingly. Likewise, I suppose she's going to have to turn down some roles since PD is now her priority as a series regular. If it makes you feel better, Bryan Fuller said at Comic Con they're going to try to figure out a way to get her to sing on the show so you can get your kicks out that way. (Not a huge spoiler but tagged just in case).

Although I have to say, I am excited for her to be on this show and that I get to see her onscreen every week. Since she guest starred on Ugly Betty last May, I had forgotten how much I like her on TV. She cracked me up and I do think she has fantastic comedic timing. I expect that she'll be irritating at first as Olive, but I'm hoping they'll give her a lot of layers to play with because she's awesome at giving surprising depth to quirky characters that you can write off as stereotypes. She seems to be drawn to these types of characters in projects with long runs; G(a)linda's a great example of this, but so was Annabeth Schott on West Wing.

ABC also stole Audra McDonald from Broadway. So, they had better be willing to compromise. Much as I love having KC and AM on my tv screens, I still want to purchase Broadway material that they would participate in a as well.

You know you're right; ABC by far has the most Tony winners and famous Broadway actors as regulars or guest stars on their shows: Kristin, Taye Diggs, Audra McDonald, Sara Ramirez, Patti LePone (Marc's mom on Ugly Betty). I wonder if it's the Disney connection or just coincidence.

Edited by dealan, Sep 30, 2007 @ 3:39 AM.

[Rinaldo]

Inasmuch as the various shows must largely have different production companies and casting people, I would be inclined toward "just coincidence." It's fun to think about though.

And maybe it's not as lopsided as all that. NBC currently has Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, John Stamos, Sam Waterston, Jesse L. Martin, B.D.Wong, Eric Bogosian. And CBS has Rita Moreno, Hector Elizondo, Joe Mantegna, Gary Sinise, Neil Patrick Harris, Anthony LaPaglia, and Hugh Jackman. Fox? Robert Sean Leonard, Bob Gunton, Cherry Jones.

OK, so ABC is out ahead, but not by a landslide.

[xavier03]

I saw her on Leno tonight. I admit to not knowing much about her but I fell in love with her immediately. She seems like a fun person to hang around. She's very funny too. One minor criticism - I found her voice to be a little grating.

[Choo Choo]

I saw her on Leno, too - still annoying as ever. And she was too busy trying to be cute to even bother saying much about the show.

[dealan]

I saw her on Leno, too - still annoying as ever. And she was too busy trying to be cute to even bother saying much about the show.

Really? I got the impression she was a lot more nervous than her trying to be cute. Maybe it was the Percocet, but she was (rather hilariously) all over the place and just kept rambling to avoid embarrassment only to keep digging herself deeper. To her credit, she managed to pull it together in the end, and her ability to laugh at herself when she delivered a clunker of a joke goes a long way to win over the audience, but I got this jittery vibe to her this time around.

At least though, she mentioned Barry, the premise of the show, the procedural aspect (key for the casual viewer who might have only heard about the Ned-Chuck aspect) and when it premieres and whatnot. Interestingly, she didn't say much about her own role, and I wonder if she might have been instructed not to say much about Olive until after it premieres. I wonder if she will say more on Ellen.

And, as to her speaking voice, well yeah, it can be a bit grating at times, but it's also really good for her for the stage. I'd imagine it probably got her many roles, and when you consider then her singing voice, it totally makes sense.

Edited by dealan, Oct 3, 2007 @ 12:28 PM.

[sweetjane]

I thought she was a lot of fun on Leno. I'm not sure how I feel about what she was wearing (the top was interesting but her legs looked like little sticks), and her hair was a little big but I still think she's a doll. I didn't necessarily get the impression she was nervous, more like she just couldn't stop herself. Her energy kind of reminded me of a wind-up toy. I appreciated that she seemed able to laugh at herself (particularly after the "heart-on" comment) and has no problem bursting into song.

[OptimisticCynic]

I like KC but in small doses - and for that I hope that she stays in the size role she currently has.

[cutecouple]

I believe she pulled out of Young Frankenstein for this role. Also, way before she had any big TV success, I heard her on Prairie Home Companion, doing one of the oddest starts to a traditional ballad I've ever heard.

[Rinaldo]

I believe she pulled out of Young Frankenstein for this role.

Apparently so -- or more precisely, I guess, she had some pilots in the works as many actors do, and it turned out that this one got picked up so it had priority on her services. It happened with another Young Frankenstein actor too -- Zachary Levi was reportedly first choice for the male lead and now he's starring in Chuck.

Their places in YF have been taken respectively by Megan Mullaley and Roger Bart (formerly considered for Igor, but now bumped up).

[moviegirl11]

I could see why people would find KC annoying but I think she's adorable. I was fortunate enough to see her perform live in Wicked and she was amazing. I think Olive will be the comic-relief in this show. Seeing as the premise is kind of dark, when you think about it, a teeny blonde saying silly things and trying to be seductive will probably prove to be helpful at keeping things light.

[OptimisticCynic]

In response to the Pie Lette thread:

Didn't Kristin Chenoweth get injured recently and kept up with the shooting schedule even when the producers' offered to give her time off? I think the behind the scenes news about her so far has been only positive.

I don't think her work ethic is an issue, she just likes pulling focus IMO. So that's what my apprehension is about. I remember reading when Wicked was in creation during workshops that Kristin asked that the role of Glinda be expanded to a co lead - she talks about it here. It was originally focused primarily on the Wicked Witch of the West, like the book.

Whether or not the material was better for it is debatable - but she is definitely willing to approach producers about having a bigger role for stage work. She also began to miss shows once Idina won the Tony. That's when the rumors started.

But, on the opposite end, when Wicked was in San Francisco she did perform with a neck brace and had a pretty good track record up to the Tony awards.

I just want the show to remain an ensemble with the slightly bigger roles going to Ned and Chuck. I love that they want to incorporate her singing talents and would love a musical episode because with her singing who would resist? However, I don't want this to turn into the Kristin Chenoweth variety hour. She signed on to a supporting role and I want it to stay that way. I've seen Lee Pace do a little promotion for the show, otherwise it was all Kristin which just gives me pause.

[sophieb210]

Any thoughts on whether she's been surgically enhanced? I too was surprised by the very full bra but since I don't remember noticing it on either the West Wing or Ugly Betty, wondered if it was good costuming to illustrate this character?

[xavier03]

......wondered if it was good costuming to illustrate this character?

I wondered the same thing sophieb210. She didn't seem that well-endowed on Leno the other night, either. Then again she was wearing one of those baby doll dresses so it was kinda hard to tell. I was suprised to see how petite she is.

[Marbree13]

Kisten is so adorable i love her. Olive is fun to watch only cause it's Kristen.