"Pushing Daisies'" Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Emmy nominee Lee Pace says he and the rest of the show's team "were really surprised" by the show's 12 nominations. Due to the writers' strike, "We only did nine episodes."

He wants to make it clear that in spite of those dozen nods, nobody's resting on their laurels.

"One great thing about the strike for us was that it gave us time to pay attention to what was working on the show and what didn't work," he says, speaking of the imaginative series about a pie maker named Ned who has the ability to bring dead people back to life.

"He can't get comfortable. It's always fun to have Ned out of control, out of his comfort zone. When he has a lot of problems, it's fun to play," says the actor, whose work days often run from 6 a.m. 'til 10 p.m. Referring to Anna Friel's character, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, Ned's beloved — who he brought back to life and must never touch again or she'll perish permanently, he goes on, "Ned has to be a gentleman and a good guy, who'll fight for Chuck's life to be as good as it can be."

According to Pace, in the forthcoming season, viewers will find out more about Ned's background, as well as that of Chuck. Their mutual father issues and pain in having grown up without fathers will come to the fore.

Pace also notes, "We have some great guest stars coming on this season. David Arquette just came in on a show about a frescort." How's that again? "A frescort — a friend for hire for a really lonely guy. … Ned's a misfit, and he's a misfit, so they understand each other."

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: "Prison Break's" Jodi Lyn O'Keefe reports that in the coming season of the Fox hit, her psychotic assassin character, "Susan B. Anthony," will be getting in cahoots with Robert Knepper's murderous white supremacist, "T-Bag" Bagwell. "When they said this year that there was a possibility they'd team up the two creepiest bad guys, I got so excited. I had a list of people I wanted to work with, and he was on it," she says. As for how the diabolical duo is getting along: "It's been an interesting dynamic. We're both jockeying to be in the lead position, but I'm not going to give anything away."

The beautiful O'Keefe does say of the show, returning Sept. 1, "In the first two episodes, just don't blink, or you'll miss a lot. There is more action than you've ever seen at once before." It's already been reported that at least one main character will die before it's over.

O'Keefe, who joined the show last season, says that with production now based in Los Angeles instead of Texas location, "it's six of one, half a dozen of another. It's much more convenient for me because I live in Los Angeles. I know where I am all the time. I'm no longer pulling onto the side of the road at 4 a.m. crying and calling the production because I can't find where we're shooting. Finally they had to have someone come get me on a daily basis," she admits with a laugh. "But I loved working in Texas. On location, it's like going away to college; you're close to the whole crew and everyone you're working with."

EARS TO YOU: Clifton Collins Jr. got indoctrinated into the universe of alien makeup application with his role in J.J. Abrams' forthcoming "Star Trek" feature. To become his Romulan badness, Collins says, "it took, on a good day, two and a half hours in makeup. On a bad day, four." But he's not complaining. "I love hiding in all my roles, whether it's an accent or physical mannerism … that's the fun for me." The biggest fun for all was just working with Emmy-winning "Lost" creator/director Abrams, to hear Collins tell it. "He's an amazing human being, a great family man and a great artist. He loves to have fun, and we were working 18-hour days."

LOOK, LOOK: Kevin Costner was seen doing a serious double take at Sirius radio the other day when he almost bumped into the famously curvaceous Fanelli twins, Jodie and Diane. You may recall the pair reportedly quit Catherine Zeta-Jones's "The Rebound" movie this summer because they felt the outfits they were asked to wear were indecent. That, after having posed in lingerie for Maxim. The twins are featured in the upcoming film with Marissa Tomei and Mickey Rourke called "The Wrestler" (which will close the NY Film Festival in September).

With reports by Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.