A Little Bit Wicked

A few years ago, my wife started watching this new show on TV and said that she thought that I might like it. At the time, I had a full viewing schedule and was hesitant to add another hour to it. But here's the thing I've learned over the past eight years of married life: when my wife thinks I'll like a TV show, she's probably right. Sad to say, the opposite isn't exactly true.

So I sat down to watch this quirky, funny TV show about a pie maker who has the unusual power of being able to bring a person back to life with a touch, a power that he naturally uses first to save the love of his life, and then to help a private investigator solve murders. Naturally. I wasn't too sure about this show. Yes, it was funny and witty and yes, I found myself smiling a lot at its quirks and oddities. But I wasn't hooked.

At least, I wasn't until Olive Snook started singing.

What a voice! Who was this powerhouse singer? I went to the internet and started poking around, trying to see if I could learn more about Kristin Chenoweth. YouTube was extremely helpful, providing gems like this one:



While Pushing Daisies has sadly been sent off to pasture, I was delighted when I spotted an autobiography by Chenoweth, entitled A Little Bit Wicked (Life, Love, and Faith in Stages). I knew my wife would want to read this one too. So in some ways, when I bought this for her for mother's day, it was a sort of a "bowling ball named Homer" type of gift. Yesterday I started reading said book. Late last night I finished said book. And now I can honestly say I appreciate Chenoweth a whole lot more!

The prose positively sparkles with her personality. There's a distinctive voice to the whole thing, filled with tidbits about her life and her views. And the things I learned! That Chenoweth was adopted and doesn't consider it a big deal. That she is a staunch Christian. That her college vocal coach encouraged her to sing from a certain part of her anatomy that I'm not comfortable identifying here which, thanks to an on-stage accident, also has the uncanny ability of predicting the weather (seriously). That she starred in an NBC sitcom that floundered upon arrival, one that I wish I could have watched, either then or now.

I'm glad that I got the opportunity to spend a while learning more about her. And I know I'll be looking forward to seeing what else she's up to. She's got a fan here, that's for sure.