Cheers for reviews, they are all appreciated
Christmas and New Year - brief summary
Sheldon had invited Leonard to spend New Year with him and his family and Leonard had accepted after spending a few days in his mothers company who had given him lots of advice about the Penny situation. He arrived back in Texas on New Years Eve and Mary had offered him her guest room to stay in and Leonard and George had gone out to lunch returning several hours later to find Sheldon and Amy at the house with Sheldon inviting Leonard to stay until they left Texas on the 4th January as "there was nothing else to do"
Penny and Natasha spent time with their family and working at the store simultaneously and showing her family her store, they were unfortunately flying back to Nebraska before her talk show slot so were unable to take up Penny's invite but had said they would definitely watch when broadcasted,
Raj had been invited to Christmas dinner with Howard and Bernadette at Howard's mother's house and he also spent New Year with them along with Stuart and Kripke
Several days later back in Pasadena, January 6th 2014
Penny was due at the Craig Ferguson show for filming at 5pm. She arrived at the studio, along with her friends, at 3 PM. All those who accompanied Penny were shown to the audience area. Penny was ushered into a large room where there were hair stylists and make-up artists ready to take her and prepare her for the camera. She was shown a chair and the work began. Further on the other side of the room was another guest who was being prepared for a segment to follow hers.
Never having met Craig in person yet, Penny was glad that for her first meeting with him, she would be refreshed and looking her best. As she was half-listening to the woman working on her makeup, her nerves started to set in. She ran over in her mind anything she could think of that he might ask her. She really wanted to come across charming and entertaining, besides just a business woman. Truthfully, she had hoped that this might open doors to further acting gigs as well.
Penny was wearing one of her-designs, a dress made of pure silk in soft tones of pink mixed with more vibrant pink pattern. Her heels were a nude strappy pair, about 4.5 inches high.
Once makeup was done, the hairdresser began styling her hair. She asked the hairdresser to place a Penny Blossom in her hair that she had carefully selected to match the dress she was wearing.
Looking at her image, Penny was pleased with the finished product. She felt she looked exactly how she had hoped. She turned and made sure the dress complimented her figure properly and then took a deep breath.
Before she knew it, she was escorted to a stage door where she would wait while Craig opened up the show, entertaining the audience with his monologues and witty interactions with Geoff, the skeleton puppet. While she was standing there a sound tech came and wired her up, hiding all of the wires so that the audience would not see a thing. Her mic was hidden under an accessory that adorned her dress.
Penny's nerves built up again and she thought she needed a drink of water. She asked the tech if she could have some water and was handed a mug with water. She took a sip and smiled at the mug. She recognized it as one that Craig always had guests use on his show. Somehow she found it calming…that is until she heard Craig start to introduce her and show a clip from Home Shopping Network of her pushing Penny Blossoms.
"Well today's special guest has been all over the fashion magazines. Starting out as a starving actress, this young woman managed to go from rags to riches by taking her gift for fashion and turning into an international enterprise. Needless to say, her business savvy and charm have since won her several roles in acting. Please join me in giving Penny a warm welcome" said Craig as Penny appeared from behind the curtain and began to walk across stage, waving to the audience as she gingerly approached Craig. He quickly hugged her and whispered a couple of things in her ear. She smiled and whispered back and then moved around the stage to take the chair next to him. She sat down and smoothed out her dress, crossing her legs and sat with her back straight, quickly turning to scan the audience for her friends who were in the back row. She quickly nodded and smirked at them, winking, before turning to look at Craig.
"Hello Penny, how are you?" Craig smiled welcomingly.
"Hi Craig, it is so nice to meet you." Penny giggled then added "You know… oh wow...you have blue eyes…you know, I watch you every night and you're the last man I see before I sleep." Penny turned to the audience raising her eyebrows in a teasing manner while shrugging her shoulders and giggling.
"Is that right, well I am honoured" Craig teased, flashing his bright teeth while laughing with her.
Penny giggled again and blushed "Well yes, but anyway. Did anyone tell you that you should wear more blue? It really enhances your blue eyes."
"Actually yes, I have been told by several stylists to wear blue" Craig teased while rolling his eyes jokingly, and then he grew a bit more serious. "You really do know your stuff, don't you, Penny. You have been the gossip in the fashion world a lot recently, how does it feel to suddenly be propelled into the limelight" asked Craig, smiling wide. He immediately liked Penny. She was direct, flirty and everything he desired in a guest.
"Me? In the limelight? I wouldn't know about that. I haven't had any time to notice, I have been so busy with my Penny Blossom line."
"A year ago nobody knew who you were and now you have your acting career, Penny Blossoms, your gig on Home Shopping Network, and your high-fashion store outlet. I hear the fashion world even wanted you to model your outfits on the catwalk?"
"When you put it like that, I do sound amazing, don't I" she winked out at the audience, shrugging and giggling. "Yes, I was offered to do the catwalk, but honestly, I just think keeping up with all that I do have daily is hard enough…that adding another thing on my plate would not leave me anytime to do anything but work, work, work." Penny teased. She picked up the mug she had placed on his desk and began to take a sip.
"Have you always wanted to act? I mean you have such a good business sense as well. But what is it about acting that you love so much?"
"Well, I just like to play other people. I mean people are so interesting. It is fun to get into who they are, you know? I moved from Nebraska to here 7 years ago hoping to make it big, but this is a hard business to break into. I was able to get a few commercials and stage plays, but to be honest, I also had representation that wasn't terribly active."
"Oh yes, I think everybody remembers the haemorrhoids commercial" said Craig as the TV monitors in the studio played it back and everybody including Penny laughed.
"Yes, I was the Face of Haemorrhoids for a while" Penny giggled. "Just think about how many butts I managed to ease." Both she and Craig laughed until they cried. "I guess that gives a new definition to being a man's butt girl."
"There are worse things I could of done I guess!" Penny said, laughingly, "I mean I could have been cast as a pig with diarrhoea. Just think, I could have been Miss Piggy with the runs." Laughter bust out throughout the audience and on stage.
Craig could not stop laughing so hard, that he signalled to have Geoff transition to commercial while they tried to compose themselves. Returning back from commercial, Craig asked, "So how come all of a sudden, everything is happening for you? I mean you went from a starving actress wannabe to a mega mogul."
Penny went silent for a moment and looked up at her friends in the audience and took another sip of her water. "It was down to my friends who are up there. Without them I wouldn't have been able to do anything. They encouraged me. See all of them were so accomplished and I felt like I was nothing. But they encouraged me and helped me realize my goals and dreams." Penny looked back up and them and smiled, then blew them a kiss, as the audience all went "Awww", Craig included.
"Awww…They are obviously good friends then" Craig admitted.
"Yes they are and even when I hurt them, they stood by me. Without going into too much detail, they pulled me back from a deep depression and encouraged me to go for my dreams. I can't thank them enough. I hope they know how sorry I am for all the hurt I caused" Penny was looking directly at Leonard who acknowledged her with a nod of the head. She locked eyes with them for a couple of moments and then realized that she was still on camera so shook herself out of the serious mode. Teasing Craig, she said while shrugging and smiling big with a wink, "Anyway, Penny's life told on the Craig Ferguson show. I feel like I have made it into big time being here next to you talking on your show."
"You have made it big" Craig said with emphasis on the word "have". "What does that mean anyway? You always hear about making it big, but what does that mean?" He looked out at the audience shrugging and giggling at the same time with his hands out in front of him.
"Well, it means you are on the Craig Ferguson show, of course" Penny flirted back, teasing him. "No, seriously, I have no idea, but I just feel pretty special being able to come onto your show tonight."
"You are so sweet. You know, you are a lot of fun. You hear about a mogul and you immediately think they are all business and no fun, but you are fun" Craig said. Then changing topics he asked "How are sales going at the store, now that you have been open for a few months?"
"Very well! I mean, it's early days yet but we are doing very well. Why do you want a free shirt or something?" Penny laughed while teasing him. "No seriously, we have considered starting a men's line. If I had a men's line would you wear it?" Penny enticed.
"Yeah, I would definitely try your men's line. I mean I get wardrobe people here buy my clothes for this show, but yeah" Craig graciously answered. Trying to avoid any further awkwardness he asked, "And you were in a web series, is that right? How is that going for you?"
"Well I am contracted up to the summer when we wrap up the series. It isn't something that would have multiple seasons. Hopefully, I will get cast in something else." Then looking out toward the camera she teased "So I'm available. Call me with your projects" while making the "call me" gesture. "I quite like presenting on HSN, but I still love acting and have a passion to bring characters to life. Fashion, of course, is a huge passion of mine as well. If I can continue to do both, then I will be a very happy girl" Penny said batting her eyes at the same time.
"So if you could do it all you would?" Craig pursued. "That's quite a full plate."
"Yeah, well if I could I would love to do both. But it also creates a lot of conflicts between the two disciplines."
"Why's that?" Craig encouraged.
"Well doing both jobs at the same time is demanding, and there are only 24 hours in a day, right?" Then she looked out at the audience and repeated "right?" shrugging. "I have to sleep at least 8 hours of that time" she threw up her hands for justification and continued "so that means the rest is for work and, well, hopefully for some social life, although I haven't had much time for that."
Again, she turned to the audience and teased "So if you are single, successful and hot, call me" giving the "call me" sign again with her hands and laughed. "No seriously, I have a list of people who want me to be their personal stylist at the store. Since I have to timeshare doing work at the store with the web-series, I am only there 3 days a week for a few short hours. It's difficult arranging my schedule so that I can meet all expectations. The good news is that I have some excellent and experienced stylists who work for me at the store. They can fill in for me when I really can't be there. But I hate letting people down as well."
"Can't you just say no, but that you have a staff of stylists who can assist them? Surely they know you have a full plate as it is" Craig was astounded by this information.
"Yeah…yeah…well I guess I just like to make people happy. Whether it is acting in a role or making pretty things for them, or helping them find out what enhances their appearance, I just like to make them happy." Penny admitted.
"You are quite remarkable. So what kind of acting roles would you like to be cast in?" Craig asked.
"You know, I am open to anything, but I love comedy. I don't even care what discipline, because I love stage, television and the big screen" Penny admitted. "I guess comedy would be my first choice. But as I said, I am open to dramatic roles as well."
"Hey producers, she's available for hire. Give this girl a call. She is unstoppable" Craig said toward the cameras while pointing back at Penny. "Penny it was a delight having you on the show tonight. You are not only beautiful and charming, but quite an inspiration." He continued looking over at Penny again. "Want to throw Frisbees at the horse?" Craig was leading them into transition before commercial break.
"Sure, but let me tell you, I still have a good Nebraska throwing arm" Penny teased.
"No, really? I dare you" Craig taunted.
"You're on. I am very competitive, trust me!" Penny said as he handed her Frisbees. She stood up and began tossing them with perfect aim, speed, and accuracy that the horse kept ducking out of the way afraid to be decapitated.
As the audience was clapping wildly, she was playing up to the audience, the horse, and Craig. Craig said "Good God, she is dangerous with that arm. Glad I didn't have to do a wrestling scene with this one" pointing back at Penny and with that they transitioned to commercial break and "cut" was called.
Cheers for reading
Thanks to INWHATUNIVERSE who helped massively with the talk show interactions
