Kristin Chenoweth On Singing For Obama & How Pushing Daisies Could Have Ended

By Quendrith Johnson
Fancast.com

On Dec. 17 TNT airs Christmas in Washington, the 2008 Christmas special starring Casting Crowns, Darius Rucker, Julianne Hough, and none-other than Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth from Pushing Daisies.

The series is a made-for-TV event that even counts the President and First Lady as members of the audience; so you know that the pressure is on. During the show, Chenoweth plans to belt out tunes from her new CD “ A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas,” which was released in October, such as her favorite holiday tune, “Do You Hear What I Do?”

At 4’11’’ and with a perfect pitch, the Oklahoma native — who has graced the halls of Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall and Broadway in Wicked — says her “knees still knock” every time she has to sing for the President.

Recently Chenoweth talked to Fancast and spilled the Xmas beans about the end of Pushing Daisies and told us how she would fix network TV.

Are you excited about this TNT Christmas thing?
Kristine Chenoweth: I certainly love that the President and the First Lady will be there, that’s cool. But this benefits the National Children’s Medical Center. And I certainly don’t like to see any child suffer in any way, so I am really honored that this is going to be charitable too… It’s actually my honor to be here.

Speaking of XMAS, do you have a favorite gift of all time?
Unfortunately, my favorite gift was some Gloria Vanderbilt jeans I got in the seventh grade! I was very happy to finally get those – I remember on the back pockets they had a hamburger and French fries!

Watch Pushing Daisies on Fancast.

But to be more serious, our family takes Christmas very seriously; we celebrate the actual meaning of it. We have a family tradition. My mom has an unfortunate ceramic Christmas tree with candles on it. It is NOT very pretty, but it has a lot of meaning. Basically each family member lights on of the candles and talks about the past year in their life and what to be thankful for, and also what they have learned from it. That’s my favorite Christmas tradition.

Each year we are like ‘we’re not going to cry, we are NOT going to cry…’ Obviously, all of us are like bawling at the end, it is so ridiculous! Even my father, a man of very few tears…

You’re all over the place with new albums, movies, TV – what about the secret Dusty Springfield biopic project?
Well, I have just read another draft of the script. I am very much a perfectionist – or Type A personality – and I just don’t want to do it until it is just right. We are still working on that script. Thankfully I still have a few years before I am absolutely couldn’t do it anymore. Actually the older I get the better it is for that script. I am just praying that it comes to fruition next year, because my schedule is firming up.

So many people don’t know about Dusty, what her story was; she was so tortured with her family, of course her sexuality. I’m not giving up and neither is the studio, or my agency. I won’t do it without (her back story), that is the ‘real’ her. I am fighting up hill battles, but –

Back to XMAS – what did you guys listen to growing up?
We were just such geeks. I listened to all the great albums. We had a Christian singer Patty Banner; we had Frank Sinatra; we had Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand’s songs. You know it’s kinda hard because the first song I learned to play on the piano was ‘Little Drummer Boy,’ and that is just a song I don’t need to hear anymore – I am SO over it!

Oddly enough, one of my favorite songs, it’s a classic Christmas song on my new album is: “Do You Hear What I Do?” It tells a story, and I love it. I love the orchestration on this track – but I have always loved it.

What about the TNT Christmas in Washington special – you scared, nervous?
I have to tell you, I have sung many times for the President and First Lady and even privately for them for different functions – but I will never not feel my knees knocking. I will never get over the fact I am singing for the President and First Lady. Mrs. Bush is like ‘we love you. We love your voice. You remind me of my girls!’ – I mean she puts you at ease, is my point — there is no reason to be nervous, but I still get nervous.

I sang for the Clintons , and I got nervous. If I had the opportunity to sing for the new President-elect Obama, I am sure I would be nervous. I’d be leaning over my trash can for it, as well, I mean I always get nervous! The thing is, I’ve sang concerts all over the world for thousands of people – but I get nervous. So everybody out there say a prayer for me… (laughs) to get me through this!

New topic – you killed with your Funny or Die intervention – can you talk about it?
I took some heat for that, especially being a person of faith and singing about Crystal Meth. They are trying to get me to do one with an update. But I’d want to do one with another type of addiction – I think it is funny to take the genre of musical theater and (apply) it to something very serious.

Do you have a favorite between movies, TV, Broadway, in terms of performing?
Pushing Daisies was one of the highlights of my career. I also love making music with an 80-piece orchestra behind me. For what it is that I do – a little bit of everything – I like to not be limited by being in a role. The concertizing is what I like to do. I miss (Broadway), but I miss being on TV and love being in movies.

In this economy, I just want to be having a job.

I do have concert dates throughout the next three or four years!

Can we cry over Pushing Daisies being canceled or what?
I am going to cry… I specifically asked if the writers (on the show) were going to do an episode that tied everything up – but they said ‘no.’ Because, you never know what is going to happen – you see, we didn’t know until recently that we were cancelled.

So we went ahead and shot an episode, thinking there was a possibility that we could come back. It is kind of a bummer; our fans will be like ‘wait! What happened?’ But Brian Fuller is such a creative genius – I am not breaking any secret here – but he talked about writing (an episode anyway) wrapping everything up… at least the fans would get closure and so would we.

I am extremely sad. I am very surprised that it was (cancelled) – I understand that ratings were not what they had hoped; also it is a very expensive show to produce. Like I get it in my mind – but in my heart I have a harder time with it.

I was honored to get the script every week. I thought I was getting a piece of gold here, and I was going to do my very best with it.

How would you wrap that show, I mean Olive and company, in your mind?
I am just crazy enough to have planned out the whole season in my head! I have always envisioned that Ned is actually thinking he can have a real relationship with Olive… I always thought Ned saw and got a little jealous of her relationship/s, so I see her eventually getting in a relationship – and not getting completely satisfied, like many woman are – when we have that one love.

View a Kristin Chenoweth photo gallery on Fancast.

There was something between Ned and Olive that was real. Also, you know, I’m getting really intricate here – if you want to make someone real fabulous or real in your mind than they actually were – I don’t know if Ned and Olive ultimately get together.

I can tell you what a season finale would be like: I was hoping Ned was an old man and that Olive and Emerson had been brought back to life – and they would all be together, and even though they couldn’t touch, they would all be together. It’s sick and crazy that I think ahead like this, but – what does that say about me? We don’t know! I always thought the four of them would never let each other go.

How would you fix network TV?
Oh gosh. One of the things I don’t think is working is this system of ratings. I know many people tell me who watch television. I know that (audience viewer data) numbers are very iffy. There has got to be a better system – what that is, I don’t know. Really awesome, special shows are being cancelled, and I don’t think we have exact numbers.

If you were going to pitch a show, what would you pitch right now?
Oh, I don’t even know! They just canceled (Pushing Daisies) and that was such a good show! I’d like to do a variety show.

Like a Tracey Ullmann kind of thing?
More like Carol Burnett!