Manifestering

We had a party today on the Village Square to celebrate 100 episodes of Ghost Whisperer. Speeches were made, cake was eaten, pictures were taken. It was great. I wish you could all have been there. I said some words to offer thanks to the people who make the show possible. There were many folks I didn't single out, because there wasn't time. Everyone who works on this show deserves special praise, for lots of reasons, but a few need to be singled out here, mostly because of what they mean to me. These are people who not only make the show possible, they make my life liveable. They're my fellow writers, who live and work with me, helping decide what stories we tell and how to tell them, helping write those stories and rewrite and rewrite them. It's very hard work, very intense and stressful, and without their imagination, patience, bravery and energy, none of what you see on t.v. would even be dreamed of, let alone real. Start with Laurie McCarthy. Remember that

There are probably two episodes you absolutely can't miss this season. Okay, maybe three. And this is one of them. Not just because it's a great show -- terrifying, heartbreaking, groundbreaking -- but because in this episode, "Lost in the Shadows," you're going to see more of the other dimension -- and what lurks there -- than at any other time this year. It's gripping, disturbing, fascinating, and very important. Any parent who has ever lost a child, any child who has ever been lost, any friend who has had to watch another friend dying, won't want to miss this show. Check it out, everyone. This is the show you've been waiting for... Enjoy!

First off, let's put some rumors to rest. Love did her own dancing. No body doubles, no pros standing in. Trust me, she suffered the bruises to prove it. You try hanging upside down from a pole in fishnets. The woman deserves a medal. Or at least a day off. (Don't worry -- she got one.) Second, this episode is about a lot more than dancing. There are some big surprises in store. You're going to see things in this show -- and the shows coming up -- that you've never seen before. But it's just the beginning. And for at least one key character, the beginning of the end... (Yes, you heard that right.) Pay close attention, and enjoy!

Okay, now that you've seen episode 505, "Cause for Alarm" (if you haven't, go to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ghost_whisperer/ and catch up quick!), you're beginning to glimpse where we're going this season. Aiden talks about some new "friends" which he sees but apparently Melinda doesn't. And, well, I'm not going to give anything away other than to say, everything you see on this subject is VERY IMPORTANT. Pay close attention, and don't miss an episode after this. Especially this week's Halloween show. And the one after that. And the one after that. And really REALLY the one after that... Random factoid from recent episode: Believe it or not, the house Chad Lowe's character lives in (in the panic room episode that just aired), which looks like an industrial park or something, is actually a regular (rich person's) house. It's in Malibu, California. Move to Malibu, and you could live in a house like that too. (B

Or any night, for that matter. We're starting to build this season's big mystery -- new enemies and new dangers, and maybe some new friends too -- and every week's episode has an important piece of the puzzle. Tonight pay special attention to the ghosts. Oh, did I say ghostS, plural? I guess I did. I don't want to blow anything, but really, I'd be blowing it more if I didn't urge you to pay close attention. There's more to this episode than meets the eye. Don't miss a moment. Enjoy!

It's sometimes an odd thing to work on a t.v. show and be experiencing it in your own time -- reading scripts, watching cuts, breaking upcoming stories in the room (we're currently conceiving episode number 11!) -- while knowing that the audience, who have us outnumbered about a million to one, has the entire fifth season still to catch up on. It's a lot different from doing a play in that way. You do sometimes wish people could know what you know, though. I imagine folks out there have some anxiety -- what's gonna happen? Is it gonna be scary? Is it gonna stink? Well, I won't try to predict your reactions. But I can tell you this. Networks and studios spend a lot of time trying to make entertainment more like a science. And why wouldn't they? They're in business to make money. How do you boil t.v. down to numbers? There's ratings of course. Then there's testing. At regular intervals, most networks like to test all their shows. They wan

You've waited patiently for news about next season. Now that Comic-Con's over, we can tell you what we told the crowd there, and a few tidbits extra... Season 5 in a nutshell is this: It's the kid, stupid. This season's big story is going to be driven by Melinda and Jim's new little guy, Aiden. Carl the Watcher told Melinda that her son would be able to do what she did, “and much, much more” -- and he wasn't lying. From the first episode -- brilliantly directed by Jennifer Love Hewitt -- it will become apparent what some of those gifts are. And that's because, yes, we're jumping five years ahead. I'd like to pretend we agonized over the decision, but really it was a no-brainer. No one wants to miss those early moments of young parenthood for Jim and Melinda -- but those moments are far outweighed by what we'd miss if we didn't jump forward to the time when their son first starts to display some of his special abilities. Plus, you can

... that I wouldn't turn this blog into piffle, with constant frivolous personal posts, but since I'm embargoed from giving you any real news about the show until Comic-Con this weekend (if you can get to San Diego don't miss it, and if you can't, make sure to read the coverage), I felt I should check in with SOMETHING. So... Here's what happened: I just took some vitamins. I don't know why. I have no particular faith in any healthful benefits of vitamins, since all the claims have been counterclaimed ad infinitum. Except one benefit. The placebo effect . I believe in the placebo effect. Because the placebo effect relies on a human's ability to deceive himself into feeling better (or worse). And that's a big part of my day, every day. So the way it works is: I take vitamins and I feel better. What's wrong with that? All you kids, take your vitamins! And watch the show, every Friday night at 8. (And check back in after Comic-Con, when we'll h

Season Five is on the pad and ready to lift off. But just like any launch, ours has had weather problems up to the last second. Were we going to keep shooting on film or switch to digital? Were we going to find the right actors to play vital new roles? (Which doesn't only mean finding the actors, but also making numerous complex individual deals even for actors who won't get the part, circulating casting tapes all over town, and when necessary convening a dozen very powerful and busy adults into a room to scrutinize the skills, likability and facial features of a small child.) And last but not least, would the Universal Studios Tour trams outside our windows drive everyone MAD??? It all came down to the wire in a grueling week that I hope doesn't get repeated for at least, well, realistically, another few. Except for the way it ended. That I'd be happy to repeat, over and over, and soon. Thanks to the herculean efforts of Donna in casting and Love in preproduction and K

Friday we had our first pre-production meeting for the new season. Headed by first episode director Jennifer Love Hewitt. Writers have been working for exactly one month to produce the first in a long line of scripts. And it's ready to go. What's a pre-production meeting? Well, here's what happens: Heads of every department join to go over the new script in minute detail. You've heard it before and it's true: Shooting a t.v. show or movie is like waging a war. A whole lot of people have to do their very specific and challenging jobs at precisely the right moment so certain things happen on film when they need to happen. Or else. If one person fails, you have to do it again. And again. Which costs seconds or minutes. In film, seconds are like lives: once you lose them you can never get them back. And every single member of the crew feels their loss. Because now there's less time to do the next take, the next shot, the next scene, all the rest of th

I couldn't resist giving people a little more to chew on than whatever slim pickings might be available through traditional channels. Plus I thought some of you might enjoy getting a glimpse of the back and forth between t.v. show producers and their lords and masters at the networks. "Lord Master" is a "current programming" executive at CBS, and a while back he asked me for an email summary of our plans for next season, such as they were at that early date. I sent him the following email, from which I've "REDACTED" content here and there (and okay, almost everywhere) to avoid spoiling too much for those of you who want to be surprised... And I swear, this is the actual email; I didn't just create it to be cute... ================ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "P.K. Simonds" Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 12:56:23 -0700 Subject: BULLET POINTS FOR SEASON 5 To: Lord M Cc: Lord, per your request: For Season 5 we're refreshi

May 19, 2009. Today was our first day in the Writers Room. We welcomed our newest writer Stephanie Sengupta (a longtime vet of the Law and Order dynasty and a very talented writer who happens to also be a longtime fan of our show) and we talked about the big ideas for the season. (Did I mention the ideas are BIG?) Then we took turns pitching individual episode ideas. We have an excellent writing staff, so there were some excellent pitches. Prepare to be seriously entertained this season. Oh yeah, and we wasted a little time catching each other up on what we did for our summer vacation. (For writers of network television, summer vacation comes in the spring.) I also sat down with Exec. Producer Ian Sander and Production Designer Mayling Cheng, to talk about sets for the upcoming season. Because of some big story developments, (BIG) our sets need to be heavily reimagined and rebuilt. Not to mention the fact that we're finally returning to our backlot sets, which burned down

May 18, 2009. Flying back from New York where I had a terrific meeting with John Gray (congrats on a first rate season finale, John!), followed by a great time watching Jamie do his stand up routine. For some reason even after working with the guy for a year I had no idea Jamie could be THAT funny. (If you ever get a chance to see him don't miss it, and make sure he does his "I'm a good girl" bit -- one of the funniest (if raunchiest) routines I've ever seen.) Possibly even more amazing, however, was the sight, after Jamie's show was over, of Jennifer Love Hewitt, International Superstar and Preferred Paparazzi Prey, cheerfully manning the sales booth and making change for fans of Jamie's who want to buy books, dvd's and t-shirts as souvenirs. She has a smile (and correct change) for everyone, poses for pictures, and just as often volunteers to hold the camera for fans who want their picture taken with Jamie. (Apparently there are still a few peop

First official blog entry. The site wasn't up and working when I wrote the post that's below (or the batch that follow), so the posting dates may not match the entry dates you see. After the first few posts, expect this to act like a real, grownup blog. Thanks for your patience... May 14, 2009. 2pm. I'm writing this on a plane to New York to meet with John Gray about storytelling for next season. (And going to see Jamie and Love at one of Jamie's comedy concerts.) Might also run into some tv biz friends who are all in the city for "upfronts". Recently spent a week with Laurie McCarthy and Mark Perry hashing out broad outlines of season five. But it's always a good idea to go back to the Originator for a booster shot of Ghost Whisperer mojo. The writing staff will be reconvening full time next week. Good news is the network just let us know (a little ahead of the official announcement, so we can start setting our schedule and hiring directors) that