A/N Surprise. I know this isn't Monday, but I'll be modifying my plan to publish. I originally planned to publish every Monday. Well, I'm writing a bit faster than I anticipated, about three chapters every two weeks. When I published the Prologue, I had 17 chapters in first draft, and so was 17 chapters ahead of what I had published. I'm getting close to finishing the first draft of chapter 23, so I'm going to be 21 chapters (in first draft) ahead of what's been published. Four more than when I started. So, I decided to start publishing the next chapter, whenever I get a first draft of another chapter done. If something happens, and I don't quite finish a chapter, I'll still publish a week after the last published chapter. I won't let you go more than a week.
Chapter 2
6 PM, Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"What?" Said Leonard looking shocked. "I thought you weren't going to find out for another couple of weeks. This is great news, right?"
Penny managed a weak smile, "Yes, it is, I finally got a part."
Leonard looked at Penny with concern and puzzlement. "Penny, I don't understand. Why aren't you jumping around the apartment, screaming with joy?"
"It's just been a long day," said Penny. "I'm tired, I'm emotionally exhausted, I'm hungry, and I'm kinda overwhelmed by it all. I've been struggling for so long, it just doesn't seem real yet. It's not registering I'm going to be a regular on a television show."
"Well, how about this," said Leonard, "I'll order pizza, I'll pour some more wine and we'll eat. Then, you can put your feet up, I'll massage them, and you can tell me all about it."
Penny smiled at him, "That sounds good, but let me get a shower first. I should be out when the pizza gets here."
Leonard nodded and pulled out his phone, while Penny headed to get her shower. Thirty minutes later, they were sitting at the table eating.
"So," said Leonard, "tell me all about it and start at the beginning. All I have to go on is your texts."
"Well," said Penny. "I got there just before ten, and there was another woman just getting there. We went in, and the other two women were already there, so the four of us waited for a few minutes. An assistant called us all into the main room and the casting director talked to us, telling us what the line reading part of the day was going to be like."
"At 10:15, the producers came in, along with Jeanie and Dave. First the producers talked to us, telling us what the different parts of the rest of the day was going to be like. Then Jeanie and Dave talked about themselves for a bit, then they talked to us. We asked them questions, they asked us questions. It must have been obvious the four of us were nervous. Jeanie and Dave told us about their first big auditions, and tried to calm us down. After that, we had a 10 minute break, that's when I sent you the first text. During the break the assistant told me I was going to read first. I froze for a second, then mumbled something. I won't lie, I was nervous. At eleven, I went in to read. First I read with Jeanie, then I read with Dave."
"I'm so glad I memorized those lines," said Penny.
"Why?" asked Leonard.
"I'll get to the main reason later," said Penny. "But, think of it, for reading against Jeanie as I didn't have to have the script in my hand when I read. I could use my hands. Like, for when I looked down and shook my head, I put my face in my hand."
"They kept asking me to try different things, they asked Jeanie to try different things. Jeanie and I hit if off as soon as we were together. We were making each other laugh and giggle before we started, and in between doing our scenes. We were like long lost friends. I was in there for about 45 minutes, then they had me leave. I did read more with Jeanie, than with Dave, but I now know why, and I'll tell you in a bit."
"They took me to another room and I read against two men. I think one of those two will get the other male role. After about a half an hour, they sent me to the main room. One of the other women went in to read against the two guys."
"About a half an hour later, she came out and we both got some coffee and talked about how things went. I kinda expected to see another woman after a half hour, but that didn't happen. It was about 45 minutes when an assistant came in with the third woman, and told us we were going to have lunch. Which we figured, as craft services had started setting things up for lunch in the main room."
"What's craft services?"
"That's catering," said Penny, "they provide food on set. Me and the other two women had gotten our food and we were sitting together, when the assistant came over. One of the other women asked what happened to the fourth woman, and the assistant told us, she hadn't memorized her lines and the producers didn't want to waste time on someone who didn't want to put the effort in, so she was simply told, 'sorry, we can't use you.' Now you know the main reason why I'm glad I memorized my lines."
Leonard looked surprised, "Wow, that sounds harsh."
"It does," said Penny, "but they sent us the 'sides', those are parts of the script. While it isn't a requirement to memorize them, if they send them to you, it's implied that you should memorize them. It indicates you're willing to do the extra work, that might be needed, to do the show. These people are working with a series that could bring them millions of dollars, so they have to have someone who is willing to work at this."
While we were eating, the producers and the casting director, walked in, grabbed a couple of things each, to eat, then went over in a corner and were talking softly. We were dying to know what they were talking about."
"After lunch, the casting director talked to us for about ten minutes, telling us what to expect when the producers and executives talk to us. Basically, she said, it was to get to know us a bit better. Then the producers called us into a room and talked to us individually. I went first and they talked to me for about 25 minutes."
"What did you talk to them about?" Asked Leonard.
"They asked me about where I was from, what I had done. They also asked me what I was doing as far as working in between acting jobs. They asked if I was seeing anyone, just kinda small talk, I think it was, just like they told us, to get to know me. One thing they seemed impressed with were my friends."
"Huh?"
"They asked if I was married or single, so I was telling them about you and then I had to explain about the others," said Penny. "Where you all worked and how five of you had PhDs. They were impressed, but also thought it was kinda funny. They told me they liked my facial expressions, how it brought a lot of character to the role. They also said they loved how me and Jeanie got along. They were also surprised at how few things I've done."
"Finally, they said it was time to talk to the next woman, so I got up to leave. They said their assistant would take me to talk to the CBS executives. She was waiting outside the room and led me to another room and I was introduced to three people from CBS. I guess CBS is interested in this show. One of them was the head of casting."
"Who's he?" Asked Leonard.
"Who's she," said Penny, correcting him. "She's the one that has to sign off on anyone who is a star or costar in any series on CBS. There were two other people there, but I didn't recognize them. The guy was the head of development, the other was another woman, and she was head of programming."
"They asked pretty much the same questions. They complimented me on how I read. They told me they like my chemistry with Jeanie. I didn't understand that as I didn't see them in the room, and told them that. They said the big mirrors in the room allowed them to see into us reading. According to them, they did it that way, so we wouldn't get nervous about them being in the room. I guess I was in there for about 20 minutes. Then I left and the next girl went in as I was leaving. She was only in there for like 10 minutes, and I never saw the third girl again."
"We waited by ourselves for a few minutes asking each other how we thought it went, then Jim, Kelli and Sam went into the room with the executives, along with the casting director…"
"Wait a minute," said Leonard, "who are Jim, Kelli and Sam?"
"Oh, sorry," said Penny, "Jim and Kelli are the creators and executive producers, they are also married, their last name is Waldman. Not to mention, they are one of the top comedy producers on TV. Their production company is producing the show. Sam Abelli is going to be head writer."
"Oh, OK," said Leonard, nodding his head, "I can understand that."
"Anyway," said Penny, "They went in, and after 10-15 minutes they came out, and took me into a room, and the other woman off to a different room. Jeanie was there and I read against her again for about 20 minutes. We were still goofing around in between line reads, although I was thinking about the mirrors this time. Again, they kept changing things they wanted me and her to do. Finally they said thanks, and the assistant took me to the other room left me there, and took the other woman out, probably to read again with Jeanie, but I really don't know. About fifteen minutes later the casting director came and took me to the room where the CBS executives were."
"We walked in and I almost passed out. It wasn't just the three people from the network, but Jim, Kelli, Sam, the casting director, and the assistant were all there behind a couple of tables. They had me sit down, which was good as I was so nervous, I was afraid I would just fall over. Kelli talked to me about the show and where the idea came from. Turns out a lot of it will be Kelli's experiences in New York. When she first got there, she was trying to become a television writer, and shared her apartment with an actress. She also went over some ideas for where they wanted to take the show. The executive for programming was talking about how they're ready to approve it, they just want to see the pilot."
"I asked if they were still planning on shooting the pilot in March, and they said no, they want to shoot it in early to middle February. 'That means you have to hurry to get everything set up,' I said."
"They were all looking around at each other, some were chuckling. I asked if I had said something wrong. Kelli was looking at me with a smile on her face. 'No,' she said, 'you are right, we need to do this faster, that's why we're offering you the part of Jessica today.' Then she told me congratulations."
"I had to have looked like an idiot," said Penny. "Probably had my mouth hanging open. I was just in shock. Then the executives got up, came over and shook my hand, said congratulations, and left. Then the casting director said congratulations, and left, as did Sam. That left Kelli and Jim, and the assistant. They both were grinning and congratulated me. They talked to me about setting up a meeting next week, asked me to bring my agent, and were planning on going over a lot of things next week. Then they left, leaving me with the assistant, who set up the meeting. It's Tuesday, but I couldn't tell you when, I'll have to look at the paperwork they gave me."
"Wow," said Leonard smiling and sounding proud, "so you finally got a part on a TV show."
"Not yet," said Penny, "what I've got is a part in a pilot."
Leonard nodded, "How about we clear off the table and move to the couch?"
Penny nodded, and she put the extra pizza in the fridge, put the box in the trash, while Leonard did the dishes and Penny moved their drinks over to the couch. They sat down on one end of the couch, while Leonard sat near the middle. Penny put her feet up and Leonard started rubbing them. Leonard looked up and saw Penny grinning.
He said, "Starting to sink in, is it?"
She broke into a big smile, "Yeah," said Penny, "it is. I'm going to be on TV. Well, if they like the pilot."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the executives have to watch it, the development people, the programming people. Then they'll run it by several test audiences. After that, they may make some tweaks or they may just recast parts. Like if they don't like the way Jeanie and I interact, they could replace me."
"Why you," said Leonard, "and not her?"
"Leonard," said Penny, "She's the star, she will pull in viewers. I'm a nobody, and they'll replace me far quicker than replacing her. In a way, this is her show. She's playing a version of Kelli, and I got the impression Kelli had her in mind for this show. They wrote the show, added the other characters, all of that, for her."
"OK, OK," said Leonard, "so, tell me about her show, and how you and your character, fit into it."
Penny was still grinning, "OK, well, the show is going to be called 'Tales of the City' or 'Major Tales'…
"That sounds strange," said Leonard. "Why would they call it that?"
"Leonard, I was going to get to that," said Penny rolling her eyes. "Save your question until the end."
Leonard nodded, then Penny continued, "It's called either of those because the main character is Allison Major. She's called Ally and Jeanie Corbette is playing her. Her boyfriend is William Roberts, he's played by Dave Collura. I play Jessica Rogers, but most of the time I'm called Jess. I'm Ally's roommate and best friend. There is another guy, who will be playing William Roberts best friend, the character's name is George 'Hunk' Burns. I don't know who will be playing that role yet."
Upon hearing that, Leonard frowned, "Hunk? So, like some sexy guy, who's built like Kurt?"
"I don't know Leonard," said Penny. "Probably not built like Kurt, not many actors are built like that, but he could be good looking. But, you know you don't have to worry."
Leonard didn't look happy.
Penny ignored the look and continued, "Remember this is about Kelli's experiences. Ally is a struggling writer and I'm a struggling actress in New York. Ally has gotten several credits for writing, I've gotten several small acting parts. Meanwhile, I'm a waitress…"
Leonard started laughing.
"I thought it was funny too, but it was something they mentioned after I told them I was working as a waitress. Ally works for a writer, doing his copy editing, or giving suggestions, when she isn't working on her own screenplays. Bill works for an ad company as a graphic artist, and his friend George is…is…something, I can't remember. It's basically the story of four friends in New York trying to make it and all the funny situations they get into. And, remember, this is partially based on Kelli's life."
"What studio will you be working at?"
"I think Warner Brothers," said Penny. "They are the ones that do most of the multi-cam comedies."
"Multi-cam?"
"Yeah," said Penny. "There are four cameras used, and in most cases, multi-cams have a studio audience, so it's like a play that is filmed. There is another kind called single cam. Those are shot like a movie. because there was no audience, single cams used to use laugh tracks, but they've gotten away from that in recent years"
In Multi-cam, the show is run in order, and all the cameras are taking video at the same time. One camera on one person, and another on the other person, one for an overall shot, and a third if they need it. This allows them to do the shot in one take, and the editor switches between the camera video when he edits it.
In a single cam, the scenes can be shot in any order. If there is a conversation, they shoot one person as the conversation happens, then they stop, move the camera and shoot the other person during the conversation. So, they have to do it twice, instead of once, and there is usually a third clip of a longer shot, that may have both of the people in it. Then the editor puts everything together, from all the short clips.
"You said something about knowing why they had you read more with Jeanie than Dave," said Leonard, "why was that?"
"Oh…well," said Penny, "I'll be her roommate, so we'll have a lot of scenes together. They wanted to make sure that we got along, that we had some chemistry. So, it made sense for us to read together more. I probably won't have all that many scenes with just me and Dave, so it wasn't as important. I don't know who the other guy is, or what our relationship will be, so I really don't know how much we'll be together."
"OK," said Leonard nodding his head, "Anything else?"
"Not right now," said Penny. "Oh, wait, Kelli said at some point I will meet her friend, the one my character is based on. Mostly, though, I have to wait until next week. I'll call my agent tomorrow." Penny was chuckling, "Boy, will she be surprised. We'll get together to talk about contracts, how much I should get paid, all that. I will have to join the Screen Actors Guild."
"Is that a big deal?"
"For something like this, it's a requirement," said Penny. "Remember my hemorrhoid commercial? Well, I had a chance to join then, but I didn't. I would have had to pay the $3000 initiation fee, and I just didn't have it. Not to mention, I would have only been able to do SAG jobs, and until I have one of those jobs, there wasn't any sense in joining."
"But working as a regular, on a weekly series, requires you to be a member. So, whatever I get they'll take out taxes, my agent's fee, SAG dues," Penny chuckled, "I may not have any more than I would get at The Cheesecake Factory. But I will have health care, and dental, and eye, and I'll start qualifying for their retirement plan. All stuff I don't have now. I should also be able to afford another car. My deathtrap should have been replaced before I got it."
Penny looked at Leonard with a wicked grin, "I could even find a bigger apartment for myself, somewhere else, with an elevator that works."
Leonard started, and looked at Penny with a curious look on his face.
Penny just laughed and said, "Just kidding."
"You scared me there for a minute," said Leonard.
"I know, that was what I was going for," said Penny grinning. "I really can't afford it yet. Think of it this way, what happens if the show gets cancelled, or they replace me?"
Leonard's face showed understanding "Oh, I got it. Yeah, waiting to see if you get to actually be on television, before you spend all the extra money you may not get, is probably a good idea."
"Yes, it is Leonard," said Penny. "And now, you can't say anything to our friends. I shouldn't have told you, but like I said, telling you is safer than them telling me. Besides, you know how I am about gossip, and not saying anything is tough. You I can tell, and I can't think of anything else I know."
"That's OK," said Leonard, "I think I know enough for now. So what do we do for the rest of the night?"
"Well, we can watch a movie. After that…" Penny leaned over and gave Leonard a deep, long kiss. "Anything come to mind?"
Leonard raised one of his bushy eyebrows, nodded and said, "We could always do that first."