Completions

Casting for Adventures of a Bride are complete. It took a while, but I'm happy with the final cast list. We sent out letters today notifying the lucky and unlucky ones of thier status. The cast is mostly a group of unknowns...well, not exactly unknowns. Some of them have appeared on other shows, but none of them have had significant spotlights on them. I perfer using "unknowns" since they are usually more humble than those sims who feel that they "deserve" a role, also it injects fresh faces into the industry. We decided to stay with the stills for the mini-series since it's more of a comedic series and we don't have the time nor resources to do voice auditions.

I doubt that the Gloria Show will aire this month, it's already April and repairs are not done. We'll focus on airing Pahala Shore instead. As soon as repairs are complete, The Gloria Show is going into overtime production. I need to send out some more feelers for additional episodes.

The hood council sold the television channels to us. We're sorting through programming now. I need to ask for premissions to aire episodes of Suburb Sim and Arrendale Heights and Make Me a Model and Celebrity Homes on the local channels. Either we would gather live action shots-or simply string stills together. More than likely we'll start with the music channel and the songs from The Blobs new album, Color Series. Hmm, maybe we could offer the CD in the Community Store.

I'm headed to Italy this weekend, familia business of course and maybe a few moments of rest.

besos

Brought the Rights

Brought the rights to Bard Publishing. It's been in the works for ages, but the legal paperwork was a mess since there are not very many Bards left. Finally we tracked down a family member and made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Now we're trying to find a some good books to start the new season up and we're going to release the old titles with nice flashy covers. Also renovating the site will take some time as well, but by the time the authors publish thier works, the site should be up and running and brand new. Hopefully we can release the first title in May or June.

Working on the details for The Gloria Show. April's episode will more than likely be late...if it occurs, depending on the repairs. Once repairs are done we're going to start filming some "filler" episodes, shows that do not need to coincide with events and can be aired at anytime, such as your typical celebrity interviews or heartwarming stories.

Also working on the line-up for the custom televisied shows. We're going to work channel by channel, so we need to decide which channel to start with and then make sure we have enough programming for that channel.

Maybe I've taken on too many projects, I doubt it. I like being busy with different types of work.

besos

Contracts Are Out

Contracts have been sent out and the five who are not returning for the Spring 2008 season have been notified.

Repairs are still not done. I'm so glad I made the cast and crew work overtime to finish some episodes. However, with repairs not done, that means the cast has an extended break. Probably until April 15th now. Not too happy about that.

besos

Made For TV

Pennelson Productions is researching entering into the TV market. Filming and offering custom shows and commercials for TVs. We would probably buy the rights to the local stations in Apple Valley. We have Sim Broadcasting Network (SBN), SimStation Dance, SimStation Sports, KidzTube, the new weather channel and the Yummy Channel .

We have a few concepts on the drawing boards. For SimStation Dance channel, we have a music video series with a local rock group. They have four songs: The Yellow Song, The Blue Song, The Green Song and The Red Song. The concept for the music videos would involve colors and moving shadows. The music videos would be short, maybe 10-20 seconds, to avoid large downloads. For the Yummy Channel, we have a few cooking series in the works/drawing boards. We will use Tatiana Garris and perhaps even call in Claudia C. for a show. These will be a bit longer 20-30 seconds in length. Then we're thinking of converting some Pahala Shore episodes into live action televisied segments of 20-40 seconds for SBN. Of course there would be some commercials for local products and stores with a length of 5-10 seconds. Hopefully this will allow our stations to show more custom content instead of the standard MAXIS shows. I have to talk to the hood council and give them my decision soon.

besos

Adventures of a Bride

Auditions for Adventures of a Bride are going well. The final cast list numbered eight, however we can increase it to ten if we feel the need (not including extras). We won't make any casting desicions until April 1st so there's still plenty of opportunities for sims to audition. We're posting another audition notice on another board and have started to browse through some talent agency books, as well talk to other industry contacts. We already know that there will be a second part to the mini-series, no word on when this will aire, could be as early as winter 2007 or as late as summer 2008, so the casting desicion is very important as these sims will be working together for a long time.

I found a webhosting site to host the movies, so AoaB may have the opportunity of being a series of live-action episodes. This may prove tricky since we're not going to have voice actors, so that means we would need dynamic soundtracks to bring the point across. That may be tricky since AoaB is a comedic series. However, the production company will like the news as this means we can host even more movies, however I need to find a script that I can stand behind. It's very important to have a good script. Final Goodbye is slated for December 2007 and I have the cast for that, we might start filming this summer during PS's hiatus.

Repairs are not complete yet, which puts a damper in my plans-however I have the crew working on editing some PS episodes and sketching the sets for AoaB. The mini-series will aire this summer, obviously we want a June bride, though she may be more of a July/August bride.

besos

Mini-Series

There's a script on my desk that I can't get rid of. It's far too long to be a movie-far too long to be a movie series even. I'm thinking of making it a mini-series for the summer. The series would have about seven episodes and would need a cast of at least six, not including extras. I know who I want for the lead role. This is the first script that I'm actually excited about. The others were just...ok, that would be a good story, but this one...I would love to make this a series. In fact, I already have an idea for a follow-up of the mini-series and it would be about seven episodes as well. The only thing is that it would be stills and not live action since the production company doesn't have the space to host the files. Hmmm, maybe a summer mini-series and the winter movie.

I need to make a desicion so I can post the audition call this week. Casting and filming won't start until April at the earliest, but...I think this mini-series would be good. If I can film the entire mini-series in April and May and have it aire this summer, then I technically could still have time to film a movie before the hiatus for Pahala Shore is over. Unfortunately, I haven't found any soundtracks that I'm in love with for the movie and if I'm not in love with the concept it shows through in my work.

I'll mull on it for another hour and then post the cast list-why mull over it. I'm not in love with the movie ideas, the soundtracks don't move me anymore, I might as well do something that moves me.

besos

Back

The Oscars were nice-a bit too cold if you ask me, but at least I made it there in time and wasn't delayed by the storm. A lot of celebs didn't make it due to the weather. I decided to try something new and wore a bobbed reddish wig.

Pahala Shore snagged one win with Josie Harlow as supporting actress. Maybe next year we'll take home more awards. It was surprising since we were nominated for quite a few catergories. I made some contacts and enjoyed the afterparties and gift lounge, then took the jet back to AV.

The PS cast is on holiday until April so I'm working on the movie script. I want to send out an audition notice this week, but I'm tossing bewteen a couple of scripts, I rather focus and do one quality movie than three poor quality movies, but that would limit the number of actors that would be employed this summer, unless I add cameo apprerences. We'll see how it goes. I actually have a children's film that landed on my desk, so perhaps I'll produce that as well.

besos

One Summer Movie, More?

I spent the weekend reading through scripts, listening to possible soundtracks and have decided to sign one summer movie "Story of Life". The soundtrack is moving and will make for a good drama. I have about six scripts (one (Biggest Part of Me) of which I really really like and am tempted to sign a contract on) on my desk for a romantic movie series, need to go over them again and see how the storyline will work. It would require about three movies to make the storyline complete, which may be a little bit too much to chew on at the moment. So at the moment, Pennelson Productions will produce two movies this year "Story of Life" and "Final Goodbye", casting for "Final Goodbye" is done and the auditions for "Story of Life" will start up shortly. Perhaps this week we'll open for headshots and resumes then make the decision by the end of the month/beginning of April.

Repairs have been postponed until the parts are delivered, so that pushes back the schedule of things a bit. I hate things being in limbo, I rather be on the set preparing for the movie, or shooting more films. No one's really sure when repairs will start or how long they will be, so we don't want to be in limbo.

The Gloria Show for March has been filmed and edited, it needs to be delivered to the network. I have sent out a query for another episode, but may change the order of that to appear in May instead of April, especially since the format is a little too similar to what March's episode will be about. I have the June/July episode decided, it's more of a "where are they now?" episode to follow up on some things in the SUN. Perhaps I can still use my contact for April, but for a different slant/topic. I want to show to look at some non-industry related issues, but all the good SUN issues don't start up until the summer. Perhaps we should look at the sims behind the SUN, mainly the SUN Core. That might be an interesting episode.

The cast for Pahala Shore is on a break, with the awards and my trip to Italia this weekend, I felt that there wasn't a need to call the cast and crew back and forth to the set this week from the show. I hope they enjoy the break, because we're jumping back into things when they return.

besos

See You at the Movies

Had some time to think about movies and Pennelson Productions. Signed a contract to produce "The Final Goodbye", it will aire at the end of this year. I know who will appear in the film, so I need to make a schedule for pre-production and filming.

Been visiting Decorgal's site and looking over her movies for inspiration in terms of quality and how she pushes the limit in movie making.

Have a few other scripts that I will be looking over this weekend and I vow to make a final desicion of a) which scripts I want to produce and b) which scripts will be produced. Then Next week I will publish audition advertisements for the parts in the film. I will need to archive the previous films and produce links to where they can be found (or emailed if desired).

This weekend is actually pretty busy, it's the last weekend we have to film before the repairs start. I hope the repairs will not take long, I have work to do, especially with the film. Simmerville just opened a Simmerville Studio, saw thier carnival film, gave me an idea of how to use this one actress I'm interested in. Another venue to produce, basically by having movies/shows made for sim's TV instead of over the internet.

There was a storm here last night, some damage was done and I didn't sleep well, so I'm tired and cranky.

besos

Busy Me

I have completed my filming in Simborough with the MMAM crew, well-almost finished my filming. I had to break to go to Palatial Heights for the Oscars. There wasn't enough time to get a A.Pentragnani dress and with the extensive repairs that the system needs, who knows when we'll get back to creating fresh content.

Pahala Shore was nominated, as well as some of the cast members. We'll see how things go. After the Oscars, it's back to the MMAM set for more filming and then back to PS for more filming. I left strict filming instructions, I don't need any slackers on the set. We have deadlines to meet and episodes to edit and send to the network and who knows how long the repairs will last. We can't afford to be behind schedule. Thankfully The Gloria Show is on schedule and Pahala Shore is on schedule, but the network needs the remaining episodes for March and maybe even April, depending on how long the repairs last. I hate repairs, but I hate how things are right now as well, so it's either repairs for a few days or weeks or damaged systems.

The cast will be on break while repairs are occuring, but the writers will be editing and preparing for the next season, the legal department will be working on contracts and I will be relaxing, I need to go to Italy to check on the familia and then I need to narrow down the movies and soundtracks so we can send out audition annoucements. With the movie(s) airing first in June, we would need to complete editing by May, which means filming in April and auditions in YIKES! March. I really need to get to work on this movie!

besos

Season Five Prep and other busy work

We're prepping for Season 5 of Pahala Shore. The writers have condensed quite a few storylines, so next season is going to be action packed to say the least. Already we're going to lose five characters by the end of season 5-that's right five.

I won't say if they will be written off the show for all eternity or if it's a temporary issue. We have a new character slatted to join the show, but since they are occupied with other projects at the moment, they will not appear in season 5...as of now. There is only one more character who needs a storyline, so once that is formulated, the wardrobe department can start shopping for items and the legal department can start the contracts. This season is almost halfway over, so I'm sure a lot of the cast would like to know if they have a job next season or not.

I can say that we're losing a cast member this season-Blake Briggon/Willis, is retiring, so we're filming his scenes for next season earlier. This has made the need for the filming schedule to be turned upside down and for some storylines to be tweaked. Thankfully we didn't plan for Willis to be a permenant fixture on the show, but I hope all the fans enjoy the way he will leave the show-along with the other cast members.

Filming for the second episode of The Gloria Show will start today, all the guests are in and wardrobe is finishing up with them. The episode is scheduled to aire next month and we need to send out requests for the April episode, might need to see what's going on. I have an idea for more of a non-entertainment industry show, but need to mull over it some more.

The Oscars are coming up soon. I plan on attending, but I can't get my requests to go through. Will have my assistant try again. I also need to find a gown for the event, hmmm....maybe I'll have one custom designed for me.

Have an opportunity to work with Make Me A Model, will need to consult with some of the staff in order to make the most of the opportunity and to prepare for it. Still waiting on more instructions from the MMAM producers.

Pahala Shore will be filming overtime this weekend due to repairs expected on the system and the new deal being signed soon. I don't want to lose any work, so we're going to film some episodes this weekend and then the staff can edit them at a remote location while the repairs are being done. That means the cast will have some days off, but they will have to work an extreme amount before they can take those days off.

A. Pentragnani is going well. The wedding collection division is the strongest division at the moment, we've actually made the desicion to offer the items internationally, so we're collecting all the pattern copyright information and prepping the community store for the shipment in addition to preparing for photo shoots of the collection. We're also going to offer the teen sweaters (nine sweaters in all) as well as the children sweaters (also nine sweaters). The fashion house has signed Tatiana Garris as a model in addition to Etta Leigh Sweeny (our teen model).

Still have been mulling over the summer movie(s). Need to narrow down my list of ideas, start shopping for soundtracks and holding auditions so the prep work of wardrobes, set building and makeup can start. Then of course filming and promotion of the film(s).

O, and Pahala Shore aires tody. All in all, I'm one very busy sim.

besos

Pahala Shore

Well, we just shipped two episodes to the network-meaning that the network has about half of the season already.

I've been working the cast and crew of PS rather hard. Filming is pretty much non-stop, during the day we film any daytime scenes and do wardrobe and make-up for those that appear in the night scenes. We're making sure that the cast is comfortable, even allowing children to the set more often. I'm not about to put in a daycare though. Most of the cast has nannies (or mannies) to care for the children. I have commissioned for a play area for the children though, that way I don't have to worry about them running into the sets and ruining filming. Also parents can keep the kids in thier studio suites or in the play area.

Today, The Gloria Show aires. www.geocities.com/thegloriashow Take a look and tell me what you think-ha! I may rule with an iron fist, but I know that in order to make simoleans you must please the masses. I need to brainstorm some other ideas for the show.

STAR came out a few days ago, there was news of a Soap Box show from Simmerville, I wonder when it will aire.

I still have been mulling over my summer movie and considering starting a reality show. I think I will put the reality show on hold until next year (2008) to see how time committments with Pahala Shore and The Gloria Show go. Thankfully Pahala Shore can be filmed rather ahead of schedule, but The Gloria Show follows who's hot now in the industry and nation. So far the episodes have had a entertainment industry slant, so I need to brainstorm some other areas. I have an idea for a show once the seasons deal has been signed.

I do have an idea for a cooking for dummies video, also a cooking reality show. I haven't decided if I will revive a reality show from the vaults (SimBachelor) or create a brand new one. I need to take inventory of what's available. I wish there was a directory of television shows I could consult for my viewing pleasure.

Well, I need to crack the whip on the writers.

besos

The Gloria Show and Leaving

Many of you now know that The ? Show is The Gloria Show. I am proud to produce this new project and hopefully it will give yet another platform for celebrities and sims to be showcased. The first episode will aire the week of the 14th and will follow with monthly episodes. We're in the midst of pre-production for episode 2 and sending the first episode to the network.

PS is going well. We'll aire an episode this week and I'm going on my monthly trip to Italy to check on the family business this weekend, so the cast and crew will have the weekend off. However as soon as I return next week, business will be very intense. Filming schedules will be packed and cast and crew will work until they collaspe. We still have five episodes left to film for the season and we've already filmed the cliffhanger episode. However, even the cast doesn't know the outcome of that cliff-hanger.

I feel that the storylines are coming along nicely. Montana is coming into her own with Opal while Ruth's Roxy is being pushed against the wall. It begs the question, how do we respond when pushed against the wall. What are we willing to do and how far will we go to get something we want. The trouble now will be to see where Opal goes beyond this season. Each cast member signs a new contract each season, so no one knows when thier character will be dropped-it gives me a certain sense of control over them and the quality of work on the show.

It's about that time to start brainstorming the direction for the next season based off where we see the characters going. Sometimes I want to aire more episodes to get more storylines in, other times we fall behind in filming and I wonder if we will aire things on time. Thankfully I think twice a month is a nice balance, along with The Gloria Show and my movies.

I watched some old AH episodes and was really impressed with one actress, Claudia something or the other. I might have to keep her name on my roladex for future projects. Of course I watched MMAM and the show is coming along nicely as well. Makes me want to hire them all for some projects. Ha! There is a lot of talent in the nation, but not enough projects...howver I can use some of them for A.Pentragnani if we ever decide to go internationally. That might be interesting, I should shot a note to the producer about that.

besos

To Do's

The writers have completed the editing for the next episode of Pahala Shore. They are working on the 4th episode and we will ship the episodes out next week to the network. Editing took a while since there were some special effects that needed to be added to some stills. Simple things like ceiling tiles and lighting, other times more drastic like editing clothing. There is one scene where Sierra has on a low dipping shirt, however after filming and during editing the writers commented that Sierra wouldn't wear something that low cut (the dip almost reached her navel). It was too late to reshoot the scenes, so we painted in a lace undershirt for her. We also added a slight belly bump to Missy for her scenes since we couldn't find any maternity suits for that early stage of pregnancy, where you just begin to show, but not a substantial bump. There were other special effects as well, but the less that is known, the better. Will give viewers something to look for.

The ? Show has hit a snag. I've been in meetings all day with the art direction team to create the style we want for the show, meaning, how can we save webspace, but have clear photos. We're thinking of combining the stills from the show into files and then having about three pages per show, or one webpage a segment. That means stills are highly edited to the select few and then delivered to the network.

So this month will be quite busy. Three episodes (two PS, one T?S). Well, I'm off to lunch

besos

Behind Schedule

We're behind schedule and I'm highly upset. The writers need to edit the episodes for Pahala Shore so they can ship out next week, while the editors for The ? Show need to do the same. Thankfully filming is done (expect for one segment of The ? Show that needs to be at the last minute) so the episodes only need editing and packaging, which is the longest part of the process.

The guests for the second episode of The ? Show have arrived, we're going to put them thru wardrobe and start filming.

I am officially cracking the whip, this simday at Apple Valley is almost complete, so the writers will be working non-stop on editing the remaining episodes we filmed and then I will get the cast to film most of thier scenes. I need to issue out scripts and get some more work out of these sims.

The Selita Collection is behind schedule as well, but we can hold that off, since the bride hasn't graduated yet. What was I thinking about starting this talk show? It's not hard work, I need to get more filming for Pahala Shore done so I can focus on the talk show.

I hate being behind schedule...grrr....

besos

Good Investments

Seems like the custom wedding collections was a good investment. A. Pentragnani has gotten an order from a groom to create an African inspired wedding collection, so we're looking for fabrics and patterns for that and Elda and her groom married in a nice wedding this simday.

The Elda Collection was incomplete as the patterns for the bridal purse would not appear, so she decided to forgo the clutch style purse and simply wear gloves with her dress and pillbox hat. The gown was tea length and made of lace with a thin satin belt around the waist and sheer gloves along with matching satin pumps. The bride wore a white billbox hat with white veil and did not carry a bouquet. We got some nice photos, but since the patterns are not our own we would need to investigate the trade laws surrounding the meshes before offering them online.

The Selita Collection is also looking well. The bride approved of the gown, which is a floor length satin sheath with chiffon overlay. The fabric drapes over the body of the bride (who is on a big diet to look great in her dress after her graduation from university). The bridesmaid dress is an issue, we made two samples, but neither is pleasing or dynamic. The bride wants the dress to be more graphic and fit in with the art musuem more, so the designers are back to the drawing board to work on the dress. Once that is done, a custom hairstyle and possible hat will be created, however the bride can either carry a dramatic bouquet or a dramatic hat , not both. So she is thinking over her options while the fashion house works on the bridesmaid dress.

Pahala Shore filming is going slow, the writers are going to start editing the episodes for this month and shipping them out, they're a little behind schedule if you ask me. I think I will have to crack the whip and have some marathon filming sessions and editing sessions in order to get the episodes out in time.

The ? Show is almost done, filming will be complete a few days before it airs (Valentine's Day week). The website is being worked on, so the episodes need to be edited. To save space and time, we're thinking of compacting the episodes into as few pages as possible, the first episode has three parts which is a nice first episode. Filming will start soon for the second episode as soon as all the guest fly in, we need to send out the questions for the show and then start filming and selecting wardrobe.

Right now with two big production projects (Pahala Shore and The ? Show) and overseeing A.Pentragnani (which thankfully is only local right now), things are a bit busy and I expect things to get even busier as the year progresses. I might have to make some moves to film more episodes in advance with Pahala Shore and The ? Show. I still want to film a summer movie, but I might film the winter movie in the summer and premier it during the winter hiatus for Pahala Shore. The only thing about films is finding a place to host it, so perhaps I'll try to make the film very small in size, maybe cutting the soundtrack down...I doubt it. I may have to look to alternative sources for hosting or even consider removing the three movies and putting them into archives...which I would really hate to do. Thankfully I have time since I haven't found a story that I absolutely love to do a film about this simmer. I keep turning to the same writers and soundtracks that my brother did, but I want to move out beyond that. I actually have an idea floating for a trilogy, but I need the third soundtrack.

besos

Wedding Fever and Other Things

A. Pentragnani is busy with some wedding collections. The fashion house has two brides that want custom designed wedding attire. Everything from the wedding gown, groom's tuxedo, bridesmaid and flower girl dresses to accessories such as purses, bouquets and even hairstyles. The collections will be named after the bride.

The most pressing one is the Elda Collection. It features a 1950's inspired tea length lace dress, gloves (or no gloves), and bridal purse. The wedding is this simday and will be very small. The groom will wear a standard MAXIS tuxedo, there is not a wedding party, thus there are no bridesmaid dresses and such. The entire thing is low key. Our photographers will be taking pictures of the event and of the bridal outfit for the catalog (if we ever decide to offer the collections internationally). Thankfully they have booked a great setting at the Apple Valley Historical Church followed with a reception at a downtown resturaunt. Everything is complete, except the bridal purse.

For the Selita Collection, the bride has some time, one or two simdays, before the wedding. She is much more fun and creative. Let's just say her hair is bright pink and the wedding will be at the Modern Art Musuem in downtown Apple Valley. We're working with her now to make prelim sketches about styles and lines of the wedding dress and wedding party (her teen sister is the bridesmaid and the groom's twin brother (who is the groom in the Elda Collection) is the best man). Her colors are bright pink, black and white. Her collection will include the wedding dress, bouquet, custom hair style (she can't envision her wedding without her signature pink hue, but needs a more formal style), bridesmaid dress, and tuxedos.

There are a few other brides as well, but I'll let you know more as they are closer to completion. Still haven't decided about offering the collections internationally. Don't think there would be much of a demand for them, but since they were made for the locals, it wouldn't hurt to offer them up, especially since A.Pentragnani isn't a retail business, but a custom designer.

Pahala Shore is going well, an episode will aire this week. The ? Show is almost done filming, need to edit and send the episodes to the network, working on the 2nd episode as well. Things are pretty busy here, but going well.

besos

Life Goes On...Slowly

The whole hood is enamored with these animals. I can not even walk about without overhearing the residents excited about thier pet. I need a vacation.

Pahala Shore is going well, there were some technical glitches with "The ? Show" so we have some rebuilding to do, which will make some obvious differences in the first episode, but otherwise things should be ok. I need to send out requests for the second episode and then I'll call it a day regarding T?S.

Meanwhile, Pahala Shore is moving, slightly. We're taking Chad and Olivia to Apple Valley to film a few scenes and the writing staff is busy editing more episodes. With the new talk show, I will be fairly busy, especially if I want to film a movie this summer as well.

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The ? Show

Starting filming some of "The ? Show" mostly promotionals and the gift segment section. We're doing the interviews closer to the aire date, especially since...well, you shall see.

Pahala Shore is back filming. The set is very hetic with the numerous sets and scenes. Ruth has been sick lately...actually for a while now. I'm beginning to doubt that she has a simple cold, I hope she's not pregnant. Not that there's anything wrong with children...I simply don't perfer them.

The hood signed the pet deal. I'm thinking of moving into my own place, no renters or anything, and start breeding puppies. I could hire an obedience trainer and make loads of simoleans. I wonder if I should breed the Alisa's dogs. They are still in the old dimension, but I'm sure with all the technology I could move them to the new dimension. Can you imagine how much sims would pay to have the puppies of a SUPERSTAR's pets? Alisa did some breeding in the old dimension as well, so it won't be anything new. Maybe a breeder's life is the life for me! Ha, not at all. I love producing!

besos

Holidays and Filming

Most of the cast goes on holiday tomorrow. A'ron got a bit part in another project, so he's taking off to do filming on that project. Usually I am very anal when it comes to my cast and scheduling other projects, but A'ron doesn't have much of a presence this season. Well, he does, but it's mostly unseen. So we finished filming his scenes and I think he's leaving tomorrow.

While the cast is on holiday, we're going to film some of "The ? Show", mostly the celebrity interviews and the interviews with different stores. I'm excited since one of the guests wants to do a special "project" during the taping of the show. I'm sure it will get great ratings.

Pahala Shore officially premired today. It's a bit early due to the holidays of the cast, but I'm very proud of the finished product. The writers don't have an holiday, so they're cranking out scripts of the rest of the episodes and tweaking storylines and personalities of the characters. Also we're trying to develop another character to be added to the show. We recently added Montana who was going to have a one season role, but we decided to extend the role...for how long, that's the question that every cast member wants to know (it makes for excellant work ethics since they don't know if thier character will be snuffed out or not). We renew contracts each season (well-mid season just in case a cast member declines the contract and we have to write them out of the show). Another character we thought would be a simple two episode role was Donna, but she definately belongs in the Pahala Shore set. Right now she doesn't have a storyline, mostly a supporting role, but a very important supporting role. We're thinking about giving her a significant storyline in the near future...well a few seasons from now. We do know that one character will be leaving the show soon, followed by the temporary exit of another character, followed closely by the exit of yet another character. Ahh, I love keeping the cast on thier toes.

besos

The ? Show

My host just arrived...I think. The plane is scheduled to arrive this evening, so we're going to pick the host up and take the host to the studio to start filming. We're aiming for the show to premire this February. Once we get some publicity photos and the episode we'll see how the format goes, then I'll reveal the host and the show. Actually I have agreed to do an exclusive with STAR magazine, so I can't reveal much.

Sent in the first two episodes of the season to the network. Now the writing staff has to edit the other two episodes for February and the cast will begin filming the March episodes soon. I gave them this Friday off since Apple Valley is set to sign the pets deal this weekend, so the hood wants to do a lot of backing up of data, finalizing simdays, etc. So we're going to be busy here in AV. They better enjoy thier day off. I am personally going to go to Italy and check on the familia and business over there. My nephew and his wife are considering moving to Apple Valley, I don't know why. Italy is much more fascinating, besides I have complete control over the familia business on this side of the ocean. That man is very much like his father, Jarrel. I miss him, deeply.

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Writing Project

One of the writers requested a meeting with me this morning. They had some interesting ideas. Basically they wanted to start another gossip magazine, similar to STAR, but of course, I'm not sure how that will go. I'm very careful not to traispe over into other producers/writers/etc projects and steal thier limelight, but they had a point. The industry has been wanting for some good gossip lately, but every sim needs a vacation every now and then. Even I take vacations. I told them to hold off on thier magazine idea for a few months to see how the industry looks, especially since the talk show will be starting in February (note to self-start photo shoots for the show and find out when the host will be flying in). I think with a magazine and a talkshow then the industry should have enough gossip...especially if I were to add a gossip snippets segment to the show...hmmm

I popped over to the Arrendale Heights site and saw the calendars. I must contact Em and see if she knows how they were made. Our set designers have been trying for ages to get custom content for the show, but repeatedly have failed. The calendars would actually be nice for homes...hmmm, that makes me wonder about the simish calendar system, especially with the seasons deal right around the corner.

Pahala Shore has been going quite well, we've been filming like crazy. I've scrambled the shooting order and added a few alternative endings/climaxes to some storylines so that even the cast wouldn't know what's coming up next. I think that the cast is enjoying the slightly slower pace, but steady work. I must talk to the writing staff about the men in the cast. Thier stories have been lacking lately. I know that Beck (Randy) will have some interesting storylines coming up soon (starting next season) and so will Chad (Russel), but A'ron (Meka) and David (Jamal) are still only supporting cast, for the time being. I've been chewing on a delicious idea for Meka and Jamal's storyline was put on the backburner when we hired Montana (Opal), who by the way is perfect for the devilious role we cast her in. I'm getting off topic again, so work is going well. The other businesses are going well, we're going to package the teen sweaters from A. Pentragnani in a few weeks and offer them on the online store, also will add a section for Pahala Shore items (such as Missy's hairdye, sorority t-shirts, and eventually the university tees and maybe some custom objects).

*yawn, a bit tired*

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A New Year Coming Soon

A new year is dawning and that means resolutions and promises that will be forgetten in two weeks time. I resolve to git rid of excess baggage in my life, including past lovers. I also resolve to make more money and find the best quality llama leather pumps.

The crew has completed most of the housekeeping with the site, the older episodes were renamed, there still remain three of the newer episodes that need renaming. I think the work was probably useless since the stills were not renamed, which was the biggest problem of the site, but the renaming of the episodes should help keep things in order...slightly.

The building of the talk show set is going to start soon, hopefully the new host will arrive after the new year for testing. I found a celebrity for the show and have lined up some other guests for another segment. I need to sketch out some ideas about the show.

Most of the PS cast is flying back this weekend, so I want to start filming again ASAP. I have big plans this year and a lot of personal issues to handle as well, so I can't be as devoted to PS as I would like, so hopefully we'll get most of the scripts and major filming done early, so I can focus on other issues. Shawn is a great director, but he's getting older and keeps forgetting things, so I have to be at the set more often, I need to fire him and take over as producer AND director AND executive writer. Speaking of producing, that gives me an idea about a possible segment on the talk show. Hmmm, I need to email some sims to get the ball rolling on that topic.

Back to PS, I still haven't decided when the premire of the new season will begin, definately not the first week of January, we haven't even shipped the episodes out yet.

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Two Projects on the Burner

I am flying out a possible host for the talk show for some test runs. I'm sending out inquiry letters now for celebrities and notable sims. With only one episode a month, things don't have to be planned out as much, especially if I can get ahead on filming with Pahala Shore.

The writers are back from vacation, they are editing the first two episodes for the new season, then the cast will return after the new year to continue filming for the soap and then give them room to follow other projects. I know that some cast members are looking for other work, things like movies and music, but their first priority is Pahala Shore.

Hopefully I can film a test run for the talk show. I haven't decided when the first episode would aire...maybe February, so it would be a St. Valentine's special. Hmmm, need to think about that episode some more.

Checked on A.Pentragnani, it's doing well. They produced a line of sweaters for female teens and female children (each line has nine sweaters). They are working on finding a pattern for male children sweaters, producing some unisex toddler sweaters and of course, some female adult and female and male elder sweaters (MAXIS has enough male adult sweaters). I need to think about when to publish the line. We need to find a model for the children sweaters and toddler sweaters. I'm not sure where they are going next, the ReTroe line still isn't finished, it's been shelved actually since the SweaTer project started due to the increased demand for winter wear.

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New Project

I have sent a brief inquiry letter to a possible host for the talk show. While they review the inquiry and go through all the burecracy, I will work on Pahala Shore and finding studio space for the talk show. I think maybe one episode a month for the talk show would be adequate. I would like to start working on the website, but until I confirm the host, the site will remain down.

I read a very touching script, "Buy Me a Rose", that would make an excellant movie, not sure when to produce it. The cast would be very small, two sims. I haven't decided if I will look elsewhere for the cast, have an open audition or simply chose actors that I like working with. I am leaning away from a drama for this summer, not sure what. I already brought the rights to "Final Goodbye" but that will be a Pahala Shore special...maybe.

I want to do a triology, haven't decided if I will comission a writer to write an original screenplay or simple find a script. The soundtrack for a triology is what is the hardest part. Also, finding voice actors if I decide to go that route (I perfer letting the soundtrack tell the tale).

The season finale will aire this week, then the writing staff has a brief vacation before the entire crew returns after the new year for some intense work.

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Holiday Vacations

The cast is pretty much on a holiday hiatus until the 1st of the year. The writing staff is editing the first two episodes of the season, I want to ship those to the network next week. Once the new year begins, the cast will be hard at work filming episodes.

I am revisiting my talk show. The list has been narrowed to two possible hosts since one of the possible hosts has been hired full-time for another project. The remaining hosts are very adequate, but the show will change up a bit. In addition to celebrity interviews (there are only so many celebs) the show will feature other 'non-celebs' talking about such issues as being a cheerful giver, the SUN Award winners, recommendations, etc. I guess that's a bit confusing, think of it like this: a typical run of six episodes would include: E1-celebrity interview, E2-cooking themed show with celebrity chefs and easy to make recipes, E3-celebrity interview, E4-the best gifts for your family, E5-celebrity interview, E6-planning a perfect wedding, etc.

I am still looking for another script for this summer. Actually, might consider more than one script. I need to find it fast since I'd want to start filming on the movie early next year in order to release the publicity information and movie by spring, plue there are some major life changes about to happen in my life so I want to do a lot of advance work...mmm, I should probably not start new projects then?

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Repairs

The set is almost complete. The Sierra-Nailah residence is complete, the Randy-Missy residence and the medical center is also complete. We tried to stay as close to the original sets as possible, but making necessary changes as well. We're working on the Russel-Lani residence now, which is good since we get to have the residence reflect Russel's cultural life as a model. We have to write into the storyline the change...or we could say nothing and just leave it at that-almost like how series will get rid of a family member or recast a prominant character, but say nothing about it (as if the audience is dumb and doesn't notice that the mother used to be short and blond, but is now tall and brunette or that the middle child is now missing)

The priority now is editing the first two episodes, maybe shooting a few more scenes after that for the 3rd and 4th episodes and living daily life. I am in the process of moving house, I passed by the house and now...I hate it. Absolutely hate it. I think I will get another house instead and simply rent out the rooms instead of this psuedo-apartment complex. It looks so guady and eccessive.

The season finale will aire next week and then the new season starts in January. We're going to start renovating the PS website, the older episodes need to be renumbered and we have to decide when we're moving them onto an older server or offering them in an alternative format (ie, MS Word via our yahoo group) It takes work to complie them, so I might put the task away until the summer of 2007. I need to check on the fashion line for A.Pentragnani's Spring 2007 collection. They are working on a teen collection called ReTroe and then there might be some misc fashion pieces and the ZoDiAc Collection for multiple ages. They're doing a lot more of custom designed pieces, such as wedding gowns for local residents-tee shirts for PS, etc. So I'm wondering if we should simply offer those to the public instead of actively creating collections.

I'm in the mood for a wedding, perhaps I should marry off a PS cast member...hmmm, who is in a good place...maybe Lani? Erika? Roxy even?...must think about this...mmm.

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#$%& Jump Bug

Several members of the cast were struck with the "jump bug" and we had to send the ENTIRE cast to the CAS clinic for scientists to work on curing them. Since there is very little information about how the "jump bug" is caused or how it spreads, we decided it would be safest to demolish all the sets, take the newly cured cast to new sets and start again. Of course this means yet another delay, but my assistant is trying to show me the good side of things.

The final episodes are being shipped to the network today, we're also selling adspace to local businesses so viewers can expect to see commercials during the episodes. The first two episodes of next season are filmed and need to be edited, which is good. That buys us some time with the rebuilding of the sets and curing the cast.

We were working on the Missy-Randy-Carli residence this past simday and decided to try and add some custom snapshots of the "family" about the house. So now we're sending the actors to the photography studio to take some wedding photos and other family shots. Once we finish thier set, we're moving on to the Sierra-Nailah residence. Thankfully their storyline is going to be altered a bit to match with the new set. One good thing about the jump bug is now we can build the sets to be larger and better lit, the lighting in some of the first shots are still a bit too dark for my taste, so we're adding even more lights. I don't think the cast is too fond of that :

If another crisis comes up I think I will scream!!!!

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Behind Schedule

Crap! We are behind schedule, the editing for the finale is not done and I wanted that done this weekend! Heads will roll! They have a new deadline of TONIGHT!!! I want these episodes shipped out this week!

Of course, since the editing wasn't finished, this pushes the schedule for filming back. Thankfully the wardrobe has promised to deliver the t-shirts for the sorority today and we can begin filming those scenes with Montana and the rest of the cast.

Which brings us to the set, which also isn't finished. The sorority house is bulldozed, but not done and I want to revamp some of the apartments and such.

Basically we're behind schedule and I'm not happy about it! Grrr....I don't care if it is the holidays!

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Mini-Break

Sent the cast home early today from filming, I have a major headache and I just didn't want to deal with the production. Instead I'm going to see the new Starrents play in Apple Valley and take in a quiet dinner somewhere. *Sigh* my ex-husband has decided to contact me again, he must need money. Perhaps I should have him taken care of....grrr...

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Season Two (Four) Starting

We are releasing the 7th episode this week, then the writers need to edit the season finale and ship them to the network and we will be complete with this season! Then we will start filming a bit over the holidays, I'm sure the cast won't mind since they'll be trading in dreary weather for sunny Bottom Beach. The first two episodes are pretty much filmed from this current season's work, but we need to film a few scenes with Montana and Ruth and Jasmine as well as some scenes with Alexis and Josie in order to complete them.

I looked at the sorority house and pretty much decided that I hate it. The crew is tearing it down right now. The wardrobe staff is working overtime to create the sorority tee shirts that are required for the first scene and now the crew has a new plans (based off sorority houses on the coast and other islands) and they will be building that-I expect it to be finished in a few simdays in time for filming of the sorority house scenes. Also we've been thinking about moving some of the women into the dorms, or another beach house. Based off this season's finale, we have the opportunity to move one set of the characters since we're using 3rd party contractors for that set and for another set location. In fact, I hate the other set as well...perhaps we should start a fire in the complex forcing the residents to move....hmmmm, perhaps we'll just simply move the characters to a new place and not address it in the story. I mean, if we make minor changes to make filming more conducive (larger rooms, better lighting, etc) the audience may not notice that much. Oh well, the crew is busy enough with rebuilding the sorority house and the boardwalk for this season and we might have to build the off set locale that we were scouting for earlier. Using public places produces all sorts of problems from walk-on and extras, but on-set locations are just as hard, we have to fly in extras to be used for the scenes. Grrr, I hate hiring new cast members, especially if they're just fillers!

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O Happy Day

I am in a jolly mood, I actually hate that word...jolly. I am in a jublient mood. My assistant reported that we were able to contact the model from MMAM and she has agreed to join the show once her stint is complete with the series. Now the writers can add her character. With Montana joining for a more 'permenent' status (her role will shake up things at Pahala a bit and make life a bit miserable for a few of the residents) and this new character, we will increase the cast by two sims, for now. I like to remind them that they don't have job security since thier storylines might end aruptly or at least temporarily. We have a season to think about the MMAM's character and how she will fit in with the current cast. Obviously her character will be a sexpot (is that a word?) and her confidence will contrast nicely with the fallen nature of a few characters by the third season (well, actually fifth season, which reminds me, we need to decide how we're terming the seasons and the episodes). So we're looking in more detail at Montana's character.

The writers are reworking Carli's (Hazel Starr) storylines to be a bit sooner, so we can get this work out of her in the next few seasons (perhaps even starting next season) before the anti-aging wavier expires. This means, Missy's (Alexis) and Randy's (Beck) storylines will be rearranged and we won't be calling in that extra actress like I wanted. But we can bring in the other actress a bit later after Carli's storyline is complete and wrapped up and she is released from the show.

During my trip this weekend, I thought a lot about Sierra (Tatiana) and her storylines. I want to explore her relationships (or lack thereof) and perhaps bring back a past character. If we go this route, I have the perfect actress in mind, though it will be a shame since the role will be temporary and once we use her for the series, we can't reuse her later as a different character, (which might not be that bad since I actually was considering her for another project). Sierra seems to be going in an inward direction, unlike some of the other characters who will have external demons to wrestle with.

A few of the male cast members have approached the writing staff and complained that they feel thier roles are lacking , unlike the female cast members whom seem to have starring roles. Well, most of the writing staff are female sims and I don't know how accuractly they can write about the male prespective, but they have started giving them more lines and not so much of a reactive nature. One upcoming storyline will directly involve one of the male characters and require his scripts and lines to be more substantial. Otherwise, the guys have more of supporting roles-in fact we're debating about keeping a male character. He's pretty much dead space, but an important part to the female character he's partnered to, so even though he's pretty much a lap dog we can't get rid of him...or maybe we can...mmm

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Move Along

The quad is complete, so I will be moving on the next simday into the home. I'm charging the other residents $800/simday for rent. The set-up is nice, a large fence surrounds the property, then you enter a courtyard and the main building. A large kitchen and living area branch off to the sides and upstairs there are four bedrooms with ensuite baths. The bedrooms are accesible by the balcony.

Montana Rolfe is available to join the cast on a more permenant basis (no one in the cast has job security, it keeps them on thier toes and makes them work harder and give me quality performances.) Apparently Lock Bay was canceled (that happens in this industry, some projects get canceled before they even aire) and she is now free. We're waiting on her to return the contract.

I'm in a restless mood, I might take the jet to Italy this weekend and see the family and check on the latest designs from A.Pentragnani and make sure they're progressing. We hired a model for the new collection (it will be a teen collection, tentatively called ReTroe), but we've been mum on details until closer to the show.

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Pre-Production Moving Slowly

Pre-Production is moving along slowly, the construction for the sorority house started yesterday. I have scouts looking for furnishings and decor for the set, all in the sorority house's signature color: red. I am going to have the costume designer create a sorority shirt for the sisters of Alpha Alpha Var to wear in the opening scene and another signature sorority outfit for the sisters to wear in a ceremony planned for the season as well. Missy's haircolor turned out ok, we're going to fit Alexis for the style today, so hopefully it will go well.

We're scouting about for a set location for a ski resort. It will be too hard to recreate the vibe of a ski lodge on the studio lot, so we're going to send the cast on location. Brrr, I hope they have plenty of scarves. I also hope the security is good, I hate having to manage extras and random sims that walk onto the set. Speaking of set: we might have to rebuild the boardwalk, apparently the sand we shipped in is no longer in stock and there is the strangest thing happening on the lot. We laid down "sand" carpet, but I am not pleased with the look, I think we'll have to bulldoze it and start again.

I have good news. My scouts have finally gotten word to the MMAM house and once my chosen one's stint with MMAM is complete, I will send her a contract for a permenant role on Pahala Shore. The writers are developing her background and trying to find the best way to ease her into the show. I'm still waiting on Montana to get back to me regarding the possibility of her joining Pahala Shore full-time. We'll see. Montana has completed her make-up, but we're still putting her through wardrobe. We're also looking for extras for the sorority house. Also, Hazel Starr finally flew into the set, we had the hardest time getting her a temporary anti-aging wavier due to her appearence on the show, but we got it, but since it is temporary we need to push up her storylines and then ship her off to boarding school.

The episodes have been edited, there remains only the finale to edit and ship to the network. We're shipping this month's episodes out this week, so hopefully it will hit the air this week and next week. Once the finale is edited, the writing staff will be free to work on next season's scripts more closely and we will begin filming soon.

On a personal note, I am meeting with lawyers and Tatiana and other interested investors in her resturaunt this afternoon. We should have a contract finalized today. Also, construction of the quadplex is due to start today. I love these times of rest, no hurrying back and forth downtown, simply planning and building and planning. Ahhh...

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Work Work Work

Pahala Shore is moving along. The cast have all renewed thier contracts and most of them have settled back in thier studio suites and are exploring the new location. We had to move the production due to the distractions around the set, the new location is much better and we have beefed up the security.

Most of the wardrobe is set for the season, now most of the cast members are visiting the make-up department for new looks for thier characters. Missy's look is giving us the hardest trouble. We might have to custom create her look. We want her to have soft flowing waves and curls, but on the long side (maybe shoulder-length) with platinum blond locks-like the dye Lyran's Sims specializes in. It is interesting, her storyline this season needs the most custom designed items, we have to design a nightgown for her as well this season.

The writing staff has been working overtime on the episodes for this month. They still need to be edited and sent to the studio to be aired, I can't belived that we're so behind! I had a family emergency in Italy that I left for at the beginning of this week and the staff simply slacked off! Grrr...heads will roll! Now we need to aire two episodes back to back in order to ensure that they are aired before the holidays.

Chad and Beck are not getting along too well, I don't really care what they do as long as their work is still great. It doesn't matter too much since Randy and Russel are not the best of friends, but then again, they're not exactly butting heads over a woman. I wonder where this will head. The cast dynamics have shifted a bit since Timothy is gone and Montana is here. She's a different breed and a lot of the cast members don't know too much about her, especially since she's still commuting due to her mini-series.

I want to start filming more episodes before things get hetic here, I'm moving again. Actually I'm buying a quadplex and renting out the spaces to three other women (they used to own a business, but a recent lawsuit has forced them to close the business and liguidate thier assets in order to pay a fine.) The quad is actually quite interesting in it's architecture. It's designed in a tuscany style villa with four seperate private areas/villas and shared common spaces (kitchens, entertaining room, pools, etc). The view of downtown is still wonderful, I think I will make much more money off of this venture. I'm also in the process of buying the '59 Diner to add to my portfolio (I have The Blue Diamond Casino, Pennelson Production Company, Pennelson Talent Agency, etc) as well as aquiring the family design firm A.Pentragnani. My silly niece has decided to pop back up again. She's still living in the jungle swinging from trees, but there is no word of her child. I wish she were more like her brother, mature and capable of handling the Pentragnani assets and responsibilities.

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Work for Season 4 Moving Along

We sent out the first few scripts to the cast. So now every cast member has two scripts and are expected to learn thier lines for filming. The costume designer has submitted a mark-up of the possible clothing for the cast for the season. It is easier to observe the continuity of the characters's clothing and note any obvious glares in the system. We made a few minor changes, I felt that Nailah's original wardrobe did not convey her character's innocent qualities enough nor reflected on her background as the daughter of a minister, so we completely revamped her wardrobe. I think the wardrobe for Missy are dead on. They reveal her meticulous behavior and her need for keeping apprearences, also Opal's (Montana Rolfe) wardrobe was another hole-in-one as it showcased her haughty attitude.

Speaking of Montana, I found out that her soap, Lock Bay, is slated as a mini-series. So now there is the possibility of signing her for a full time role on the soap. This would alter Roxy's storyline for season 5, not much though, simply her locale would change. We'll have to think about it. Right now Roxy's in a good place-both sides of her personality are being appealed (she's enrolled in advanced molecular chemistry classes while enjoying her job at the design firm), Opal could shake things up a bit. Well, that means more thinking.

The schedule for the remainder of this year is complete:

November: Wardrobe. Cast members are expected to arrive at the studio for wardrobe fittings and make-up and hair experimentation. Once thier character's clothing and hair and make-up have been chosen for the season, the cast is free to return to thier native hoods for a brief holiday.

December: Read-Thrus. Cast members are expected to arrive to the studio for read thrus of the episodes and marking on the set. Once read-thrus and markings are done to the satisifaction of the director and producer, the cast is free to return to thier native hoods for a brief holiday before filming starts in the beginning of the year.

Well, I am off to another staff meeting, we're reviewing the set plans for the sorority house.

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Season 4 Preperation Starts

The cast has signed thier contracts for the next season, we let go of one member, but we gained another member, Montana Rolfe. Now that the paperwork is done, the creative process can start. We're going to spend the next two months getting wardrobe and make-up for the cast. Last season, the wardrobe was a bit haphazard, some cast members had very similar styles. Well, I'm meeting with a costume designer (along with the writing staff) this week to sketch out character boards. We're going to really delve into the characters and find out what makes them tick, thier background and attitudes. From this exercise we're going to develop a wardrobe for them in terms of colors and styles.

Sound confusing? It's not really. For instance, Missy is a southern belle. Her parents are rich and have spoiled her, but they demand that she uphold the family name and are very concious of apprearences. This would transform into Missy having a more tailored look with well made-though not neccessarily expensive-clothing that varies in muted shades. Compare this to Roxy who is very artisitic and is finally coming into her own personality. The first season she got a makeover from Erika, but it had Erika's style, so this season we saw her try to break out of Erika's mold and experiment with color more, so her clothing style is more brighter and bolder with intense colors and shapes, she may not bare a lot of skin, but Roxy would be the one to wear a retro poddle skirt combined with a leather jacket. She marches to the beat of her own drummer. It is interesting how color and clothing can indicate a character's attitude, background and even current emotional state. Like if the character is going through a blue period, thier clothing may be frumpy (take a look at Missy this season, since she's struggling with her weight you often see her in oversized clothing) or if they are moving up in thier career, thier clothing will become more conservative. Ok, enough Wardrobe 101.

This next season is really exciting, we have some amazing storylines for our beloved Pahala Shore residents, so the next two months will be busy with printing scripts, wardrobe, make-up, readthrus, publicity photos, and perhaps filming a few shots if we're lucky.

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Check! New Task Please

Found a clothing design firm for Pahala Shore. We're working with the company to create some outfits for Nailah and Sierra since thier characters are still in college, but are not college grunge. It's been hard to find distinctive clothing for them and I want the next season to be even better than the first. Thier first assignment is creating a few tropical inspired t-shirts for the characters and creating a uniform for Lani's Diner...mmm, I wonder if I should promote that as a contest among the fans. I'm sure there are plenty of creative fans out there with dreams of designing clothing. Ok, back to the issue at hand, this design firm is fairly new, but they have done superiour work. Right now they are working on thier zodiac collection, so that should be interesting-I'm not sure if they will export thier items, but Apple Valley residents wear thier clothing a lot.

Photo shoot is this weekend. We're camping out at the beach and securing our territory. Hopefully the fans won't be out in flocks. After the photo shoot, we'll need to edit the photos and send them out to magazines and to Adrian in Simmerville to create posters so that everyone in SimNation can have the cast of Pahala Shore on thier walls.

Tatiana and Chad are hosting a costume party for the cast and crew, I won't be attending since I'm flying out to meet the designers and go over some fabric choices. Hopefully the cast will have fun, but not too much fun where they won't be at thier best for the photo shoot.

I wonder if I can find a furniture manufacter...mmmm

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Weekend Festival

Well, the scripts are ready for next season. We haven't sent them to the cast yet, pending the negogiations of the contract renewals next week. Once the contracts are signed, cast members get the new scripts and then we can start filming for the nest season. This upcoming season only has eight episodes for us to film since most of the first two episodes were filmed this year. I am excited about the new season as we're looking to expand Pahala Shore into other venues, namely posters, designer clothing and accessories and more commercials.

Good news, I have signed the rights for a new script called "Final Goodbye". I read it and thought-amazing! It will actually be tied into Pahala Shore and aired as a special, however this will be at least two seasons from now, so next winter. I am looking for a script for this summer, something a bit more lighthearted, but dramas seem to go off well. After finding a decent script, well a fabulous script, the hardest part of producing movies is finding the webspace to host the movies.

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Internal Working

Today is a busy day for the crew and I. I am meeting with the writing staff to flesh out the scripts for season two, so we're going to take the storylines and actually create the scenes and scripts for the cast. This will then be shipped to the cast for review and to the crews to scout for/create the needed sets and the wardrobe to find the necessary outfits.

Afterwards we're going to work on the editing for November's episodes. I've taken to having a more hands on approach with the editing of the shows which the staff hasn't complained about-I just dare them to complain, ha! The stills are edited, but we need to format the shows to be packaged for the networks and they need to be sent out rather quickly, next week at the latest.

The lawyers are reviewing the contract renewals and looking at our salary rates vs other shows and looking at the success of the show to see how much of a bonus-if any-the cast recieves. We're considering moving away from a per episode pay scale to a flat rate for the season depending on number of episodes the character appears in, skill level of the cast and other potential issues. With some we're going to offer bonuses in lieu of a severly increased paycheck.

Next season will be a bit different. We will take our time with filming, allowing the cast to have occasional breaks, but no more of the massive amounts of filming in the beginning with a long break for the cast. It's too hard to call them back for events, photo shoots and reshoots of scenes, so we'll probably film two episodes ahead of schedule, which will allow us some flexibility in terms of storylines. The hardest part is trying to keep the writing staff focused on the season at hand, they keep throwing out ideas and storylines (I'm afraid that I'm not helping much with this aspect). Honestly, we have enough storylines to last for seven seasons at least and that's not including my desire to add new cast members.

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Episode and Feedback

The latest episode has aired. I wonder why the audience hasn't left much feedback. I suppose I should send some marketing reps out to survey our viewers andsee if we can improve the series. The editing for the next two episodes needs to begin soon, I think I will have the writing staff work on some of it today and tomorrow. We had a meeting this morning to finalize the next season and give the ok to start developing scripts. I've been scouting for new faces, I'm always on the lookout for new talent and I have a couple of ideas for some upcoming stories. I know that I want to deal with outward beauty and our notions of what is beautiful and sexy. I also have the writing staff setting Sierra up for some discontentment in her current relationship (lack of) state. I also realized that the characters seem to have an endless supply of simoleans, which isn't true, so I need to throw some realistic aspects into the mix-but not too much. Viewers don't want to see real life all over again, they want a fantasy world to escape to. Today the lawyers and I are finalizing the contract renewals and preparing them for delivery to the cast at the end of this month-otherwise things are going well. It's getting a bit chilly in Apple Valley and Tatiana is moving out of the condo, so I need to either move out or find another renter for the condo.

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Busy Time of Year

Scheduled the photo shoot for the cast to be next weekend, which is good timing on my part since Tatiana and Chad want to throw a costume party then, so the production studios only have to pay for flights for the cast for one trip. The photo shoot will be held at several locations: the beach, a photo studio and the pool. We're reviewing possible poses and cast members to include in the shot. We're thinking of leaving the individual shots up to the cast members' talent agencies and simply doing group shots. Theses photos will be publicity for our latest ad and for posters made by Simmerville's Adrian. The next episode aires this week, the writing staff has had a holiday and I need them to work on the editing for next month's episodes and quickly, since the holiday season is approaching and they will of course want to take thier vacation days then. The weather here has been strange, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've noticed that as I walk downtown several men seem to slow down and stare. Ugh, pathetic. I need a strong man, since I'm a strong woman.

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A New Phase of Editing

Editing for episodes 17 and 18 will start soon, the writing staff has been working on the fifth season of Pahala Shore. Actually they're working on Nailah's storyline since her character will go through a significant change then and the arc actually starts this upcoming season, so to provide for continuity they are working on completing the storyline before converting season four's storylines into episodes and scripts.

We're thinking about changing some of Carli's storyline so we can send her away for a season, the downside to working with teens and minor actors is that they grow up so fast, we're trying to get a waviar for her to stay in her teen lifestage longer than usual, especially since she just signed with Division Heights in addition to Pahala Shore. We shall see since Pahala Shore really isn't a child-friendly set and she will have very limited storylines until the writers see fit for her to enter Pahala University.

Speaking of Pahala University, we've been holding discussions with some designers about creating a line of Pahala University apparel for fans of the show to wear sweatshirts and tees of Pahala University. Also we're going to host a photo shoot with the cast to create a line of posters with Adrian from Simmerville. I might send an email to the agencies I work with so they can submit profolio photos of thier talents for posters with the company as well. It was refreshing to see my sister-in-law on a poster, I am going to buy one, for memory sakes. I wonder how my nephew is doing and what on earth is my niece up to? I wonder if she's still roaming the jungles trying to 'find herself'.

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Working Hard for the Money

Just finished reviewing episodes 15 and 16. They are officially complete and ready to be aired next month. This week the network will aire episode 14 of Pahala Shore. Been thinking about revamping some of the pages of Pahala Shore, I wonder if the background is too busy for reading, but so far no complaints.

Talked with Sam Warwick of Suburb Sim about the storyline in question with Nailah. They are similar, VERY similar...at first. Then we talked about the future of the storylines and I feel that they are going in opposite directions, so we're going to keep the Nailah storyline, besides, our storyline will be next season, by that time the Suburb Sim storyline might be complete or well on it's way to a resolution. I don't mind having the critics compare our storylines at first, but they are distinctly different and the future holds two seperate endings for the characters involved on each series, so they are different storylines in the end. The writers are actually thinking about speeding up the resolution of Nailah's storyline so that it will end next season, I think that we should extend it over two seasons, that would give the audience more time to accept the resolution.

With this issue out of the way, the storylines for season two are well on thier way towards completion. Once we have agreed on the final version of the storylines then we can start putting them in an episode format and start filming. Thankfully we have the first two episodes filmed for next season and they require only a slight modification in order to transition smoothly and then we can get wardrobe and sets complete.

Well, I'm off to a meeting with the writing staff, we are working on a storyline for Hazel Starr and Alexis and Beck but we're going to work backwards from the solution to create the problem.

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Tired

Things are going well, the network recieved the stills for episodes 15 and 16, the show now has to be formatted to be viewed by the audience. I am tired-work has been hard with the editing for the next season, doing last minute edits to this season (we're cutting the number of episodes from 10 to 8 in order to end on episode 20) and the subsequent seasons. Also keeping track of where the characters are going/have been so that we can pull storylines from them whenever possible.

We're toying with Nailah's storyline again. We had thought about her storyline in advance, but watching Suburb Sim the storyline seems a little too close to comfort to thiers. We might leave it as is and see if the Suburb Sim storyline develops to be similar to ours, if so-since they published thiers first-we'll have to change her storyline yet again. We only want a season long story arc, followed with a multi-season arc that is already planned, but we feel it would be too soon to throw Nailah into this situation given how this season ends, so that makes things a bit difficult. Perhaps we'll simply have Nailah play a more supporting role next season since this season her storyline is on the forefront.

Since we're discussing storylines I need to have a long chat with Alexis regarding the direction we want to take Missy. If she doesn't agree then we'll have to find another character for that storyline, but I'm sure that she'll agree once we sit down and work out the details and how it will improve her acting chops. We're looking to add a permenant character to the series and I'm desperately watching Make Me A Model since I have my eye on one of the contestants to offer them a recurring role on Pahala Shore and I want to send the offer as soon as possible. I am crossing my fingers that they get eliminated, which I suppose isn't too nice of me, but I want her and I usually get what I want. O, if she gets eliminated we can sign her up for the next season and work her into a storyline with Nailah and that will serve as her introduction to the Pahala Shore group. Two birds with one stone!

I had originally packaged the role for Montana Rolfe after seeing her test shots, but I was a bit too late as she already signed with Lock Bay, a new soap that should be coming to the screens soon. I am curious as to what the concept is, it seems like it is more of a mystery related series. Also another soap, Division Heights, is supposed to premire this October, so all in all, there are many more soaps coming the screen, so we have to make sure that Pahala Shore is top-notch quality in order to entice and keep viewers watching each episode.

Behind the Scenes

Some behind the scenes work has been going on these past several days, I've been quite busy jetting bewteen Apple Valley and Italy to visit family and take care of business.

Last Actor Adopted. Beck (Randy) was adopted by Roswell and his information is online now. Olivia (Lani) was adopted by Simmerville and A'ron (Meka) was adopted by Apple Valley.

Set Location Moved. The set location has been moved to another locale, it was hard to keep the relationships of the cast seperated from thier real-life relationships and some townies seemed to be always around the set. Well the move has been finalized and the two main sets have been transferred. The crew has finished building a beach set for next season with the ice cream shop and boardwalk shop, not to mention the sandy dunes and tropical plants to finish the set. The crew is scouting locations for a ski lodge set for next season as well.

Season One DVD in process. Found a source to host the last season's episodes. Technicians are putting the episodes in downloadable formats and uploading them to the network. Hopefully this work will be complete by the end of the year.

Episodes 15, 16 are completely edited and packed, I just need to send to network. Now the next two episodes need to be edited and sent to the network. I have been thinking of chaning the episode airing schedule this season to ensure that we end the season with episode 20, that means season two will need to be altered as some of the episodes will need to flow into season two. This isn't a bad thing since that means that the first two episodes of season two are filmed, but reworking the timing of the storylines will take some work.

Been calling back actors for some scenes to be reworked. Thankfully we have new technology to make things a bit easier.

In Italy met with some family members and we looked through my brother and sister-in-law's assets-including the fashion house A. Petragnani. Right now there are not any new collections, but I wonder if we should revive the fashion house-at least to clothe the cast from Pahala Shore. We're having a hard time finding items for Jasmine's character (Nailah) since her style is comfy casual, but not college grunge. Also, Tatiana (Sierra) wears a lot of ethnic inspired clothing which is hard to find. I hate that this, but it's something we can look into.

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Showtime

The show premires today-we won't know how the reviews are until next week, but until then I'm simply enjoying my day off. Yes, I took the day off. I've been napping, shopping, and preparing the house for the premire party this evening-well, I've been giving orders on how to prepare the house and watching others do it.

I've been considering opening a VIP area for the show where the biggest fans can see the episodes early, be eligible for special prizes and discover information about the show that only VIPs know (think uncut footages, future storylines, etc). Also thinking of revamping the cast pages to reveal more about the characters themselves, but this would reveal information from past episodes. I'm still mulling over it and the possible need to expand our webspace. But I have so many plans for the Pahala Shore website:

-VIP section for exclusive members (access to mailing
list, special uncut episodes, hints about future storylines, prizes)
-Backstage section (include filming schedule,
bloopers)
-Revamp Cast Pages to include character
information
-Package previous seasons into
downloadable formats and store on another site to free up webspace
-Rename page names for better organization (should
retroactively do this?)
-Rename stills for better
organization
-Move to a new webspace
-Add poll about Lani-Russel-Meka

I think I'll sleep on the list and slowly start making changes. I know that the cast pages will probably be revamped soon, but only the permenant cast would have these special pages, supporting/temporary cast would have smaller pages, but the other changes will have to be thought about in more detail. Thankfully, the Pennelson Production website is complete with it's changes. There might be some minor tweaking of some details, but otherwise it is finished.

The storylines for the second season are pretty much established, the writers are making some edits and taking the storylines and applying them into episode formats, once that is done-filming will restart, but filming also won't start until the episodes for the first season are edited and sent to the network. I plan on having the editors finish episodes 3 and 4 and package those to be sent out this weekend, but I have a busy week ahead of me with other business that who knows.

Thankfully the stills for episodes 3-5 are completely done, the other episodes' stills are almost edited and then editing can continue on that-editing is the longest part of the process, but since we have clear storylines and episode guides with the needed scenes and sets, filming doesn't take as much time. I want to be able to have this season edited and sent to the network by the end of Oct/mid Nov and then start on the filming for the next season and have at least the first batch of episodes sent to the network by the mid of December. This doesn't seem to hard, but I also wanted to put out a movie or two, and seriously consider the possibility of adding another series or mini-series, but it seems like this will have to wait until next summer when Pahala Shore is on hiatus. Which is well since I haven't found any scripts that captivate me as of yet-there are a few that intrigue me, but I need to reread them and I refuse to do that until the editing is complete for this season.

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Angry

The office has been a mess today-largely thanks to yours truly. Things were well until after my lunch I ordered that the newest issue of STAR be brought to my office along with some rose petal gellato. The interviews were great, gossip was tasty, but then I threw a fit! My plans for the talk show had been leaked! I was angry and started ranting and raving and throwing things-my assistant had to calm me down. Thank goodness I hired a good assistant, otherwise a lot of sims would be walking around headless. My assistant said that there isn't any indication that it was MY talk show that had been leaked since it simply said A talk show and listed three of the hosts we were considering. Also that those three sims were very popular at the moment, especially Gloria after her Golden Star win. That made sense, so I celebrated by going out for espresso and doing some shopping while the assistant made sure that my office was cleaned.

While sipping my espresso I saw Tatiana in a corner, it looked like she was reading STAR as well and looked as if she were...crying. I suppose she had gotten to the part about the object of her little crush, Chad, being a player. I wonder if I should make the writing staff observe the cast of Pahala Shore in order to generate ideas for the show. They are one...interesting bunch. Cheating spouses, forbidden loves, secret grudges, who knows what will happen next! As long as they do thier job, then I don't particullary care about thier off-set activities. Besides, they have free will, you can't control thier behavior.

There have been some minor complaints from the cast about stalkers from the hood, so we're considering moving the set to another location on Bottom Beach for the safety of the cast and crew. Now would be a good time to do the move since the cast is on holiday until filming resumes for the next season. Besides, we still need to build a few sets and scout out some locations...I'm thinking of using some of downtown Apple Valley for a few scenes, but it is so hard to control the onlookers-perhaps I should give Chang Lee a call and ask for some advice.

I'm anxious for some reason, I would like to add a new character since the college students are slowly aging out of college, but for now things are stable. We have a new actress for the new season, Montana Rolfe. I must say, she is perfect for the devilish role we cast her in. Speaking of roles, we're drafting the contract letters for the next season, so many of the cast will find out if they have jobs or not.

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Season 2 Pre-Production

Pre-production for season two has begun. I've been having frequent meetings with the writers to determine the direction of some characters for the second season. We have finalized Erika's storyline and we're working to finalize Roxy's storyline. Nailah's storyline gave us some trouble, we had originally planned for a significant change in her life to occur during the second season, but we feel that this change is much too soon. As a result, her storyline for the second season was a blank slate, but now we seem to have settled on an idea for her and it will probably affect the future of her character greatly. Other characters' storylines are being refined and some are completely deleted. Hopefully we'll have the storylines finalized by October so we can begin filming for the second season. Also, once we get our mid-season reviews in October/November I can send out contract renewals with the possibility of bonuses-depends on how popular the show is.

The network has requested ten episodes a season and two seasons a year, so that means we need to get started with the second season in order to produce those episodes to the network by January, well at least a significant number of the episodes.

Finally got the Pennelson Productions website complete to my desire, for now. We're working on the Pahala Shore website, adding additional cast pages, creating templates for the behind the scenes pages-not to mention trying to put out publicity about the show's premire this Friday-I hope the cast takes plenty of photos, they're in for a wonderful night! Hopefully the show will be a success, but more importantly it will deal with real issues and real choices, not cliches. Well, I have another meeting with the editors tonight-we're trying to wrap up editing for episodes 3 and 4 in order to ship them out at the end of the month.

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That's A Wrap

Filming for the first season is complete. The writers are working on the remainder of the scripts for season two while the actors are reviewing the first script of the season. Jasmine is at home-hopefully on bed rest-she gave us quite a scare. The cast has a holiday until the premire date, Sept 15th, when I'm hosting a viewing party at my condo. Then Tatiana, one of the actresses is having a dessert reception afterwards. After the premire, they return to a relaxed schedule with minor filming, wardrobe and rehearsing.

Now that the actors have a break, the real work begins, editing the episodes, preparing for the next season, ordering the contractors to build the sets, not to mention altering the website to include more features and working on the Pennelson Productions website as well. Perhaps I should be more detailed.

Editing the remaining episodes. The scenes are filmed, but we have to edit eight episodes and package them to be sent to the network. Also, we have to change the way we save the stills...maybe not, we could just renumber the remaining ones to reflect thier changing from episode 1 to episode 13, etc.

Preparing for the next season. The writers have to finish the scripts and finalize the storylines, thus far they compressed Erika's (Daphne) storyline so that Blake and Jake's contract can be a bit shorter-(strictly budgetary reasons, not talent, besides, the storyline was dragging a bit much and I hate it when they drag) and created an one season storyline for Roxy (Ruth). They're also going through and revamping some of the other storylines, especially Carli (Hazel Starr) since we had to cut her scenes from the first season and brainstorming for the direction of the second season. Once that is done, then we move on to...

Building the sets. We will need new sets for the second season for a few additional locales, like Kevin's (Jake) apartment and Willis's (Blake) beachhouse and a sorority house and (my personal favorite) an ice cream shop on the beach. Also we determined that some sets were a bit too small, like Erika's (Daphne) office and the medical school set and we're going to try and work that in as a side storyline to the action.

Altering the website. I want to add some new features to the Pahala Shore site, such as a behind the scenes section with a filming schedule, bloopers and extra stills that didn't make it into the episodes. Also links and credits to the wonderful international set designers and wardrobe designers.

Good news: two of the adoptable actors have been adopted, in fact one is signed to Pennelson Talent Agency. Speaking of which, I want to edit and alter that site as well. Add a more user friendly layout with seperate pages for the films, mini-series, and series, also a section for the Talent Agency. Jaedon has pretty much given the reigns to me for the moment, I believe he's taking an extended break in Italy to handle some business.

All in all, things will be rather busy with these behind the scenes things, so the cast probably won't get much acting/filming in the next couple of weeks, mostly wardrobe and make-up for thier scenes for the next season, rehearsals and of course publicity tours. But let's not forget that yours truly will be taking plenty of holidays and relaxations in the midst of all this work.

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Episodes 1 & 2 Shipped

Today episodes 1 & 2 were shipped to the network. I was able to view them and they look rather well. Thankfully we have some better camera equiptment so future shots should be of better quality. The only thing we had to worry about was the numbering of the episodes. Should we start over-which was the naming tradition with the photos or continue the previous number. From now on, future stills will be named by season#episode#scene# or some variation of this.

Another actress, Montana, flew in for a small role, so we're going to send her through makeup and wardrobe along with Jack. She has a small role, approximately five episodes, but we're not near ready to start filming those scenes. The sets haven't been constructed-considering she appears in the second season. Until then, we're going to use her as an extra for some other scenes, of course she will be paid.

We expanded the wardrobe and found some new items for the cast to wear. We're trying to develop each character to have a distinct style, but since many of them are in college, thier style is pretty casual, however there are differences. Like Ruth's character, Roxy. She's artistic in nature, so her wardrobe is often brighter and contains more colors than Alexis's character, Missy, who wears a lot of neutrals, well-actually at the moment Alexis's wardrobe is pretty drab. Her character is not comfortable with the extra weight and she tries to mask it with larger clothing. I think the writers are going to allow her to lose the weight, but I think I would be interested in having a plus size character...mmm, perhaps if Lucy Bright from Make Me a Model doesn't get to the final round, I'll try to tap her for Pahala Shore. Look at me, I think far too much in advance sometimes. But there is a vast source of talent out there and I anxiously want to use it. Thankfully we have a lot of stories coming up that can tap that talent, also thankfully, the writers are not clingy with the characters, pretty much no one on the set has job security, we're already letting go of one cast member this 3rd season (watch for episode 22) and two other cast members are scheduled to leave (perhaps temporarily) during season 6 and we're toying with the idea of increasing the permenant cast and opps, no more spoilers for you.

The writers are trying to wrap up Erika's story so we will know how long Blake and Jake will be needed, or if they will be offered more permenant roles on the soap. I love listening to the writers brainstorm about the characters. They seem to have a knack for putting them in situations where there is not a defined good or bad, right or wrong. Like Lani's triangle for instance. Lani is torn bewteen her childhood love for Meka whom she have always held a torch for, but who has never returned the feelings and her high school love, Russel, who loves her dearly, but whom she doesn't love quite as much as Meka. Futher complicating the storyline are the personalities of the two men, does Meka really want her or does he want her because someone else has her? Does Russel really love her or is he in love with love? They don't let her get the easy way out with letting one be an serial killer and the other saves puppies from being hit by cars. Ok, that's enough scoop for you.

Pahala Shore will aire the 15th, not the 8th as planned. Publicity and marketing have backed the date by a week, but don't worry...I might give a teaser link from here so you can view it early.