Manifestering

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