OK, people, this is my last blog for the season, so the pressure is on to make it really hot. I can't believe we've already reached our season finale. ABC is "double pumping" us (I've always found that term awkward) on Wednesday, so we'll not only be on at 8:30 pm/ET but 9:30 as well. I have to say for all the moving around and delaying of our show, you guys have managed to find us and stay loyal. We all adore you and can't thank you all enough for watching! And by the way, we got picked up for 13 more episodes! So thank you very much! We couldn't have done it without you. I mean we could have, but then we would have been canceled. I think you get it.
In "Keeping Up Appearances" at 8:30, Julie and Cooper, get to spend some quality time together. I've already told you how much I adore working with Melanie Paxson, and in one of our scenes she really "cracks" me up. Pardon the pun. Ooof, that was bad. If you watch Wednesday you'll get it then. Hopefully. Or most likely not.
What's fun about Notes from the Underbelly in general is that almost all of the stuff that happens to the pregnant couples on our show has really happened to our writing staff. What happens to Melanie on Wednesday's episode actually happened to Stacy Traub, our executive producer. It's both mortifying and hilarious — my favorite combo.
Our writers have done such a great job with the show. It's been such an honor to work with all of them. Aside from the fact that they are all total nerds, they've done OK by all of us in the cast who wouldn't have jobs without them. I mean, I would probably be on The Office, but I turned down the part of Angela, Angela Kinsey's role. OK, I didn't, but she knows I let her have it. All right, honestly, I auditioned for Pam but wasn't even called back. I think they used the words "not right at all for this role." But I digress. I just feel very lucky to have such a devoted and talented writing staff.
The "Surprise" episode, airing at 9:30, was a fun (although completely scary) episode to shoot. Why? We flash back to what we were like when we all first met 10 years earlier. Jennifer Westfeldt wins the award for best use of acid-washed denim and Michael Weaver once again gets the a--hole award. Not for his clothes… just because he is. What? Pete Cambor gets the award for best use of '90s facial hair, and let me tell you, Cooper had some mad style. Tune in and check out my fantastic frames. When my husband saw a picture from the shoot he simply looked at me and said, "I hate those glasses." Nice.
Sabrina Rosen was our wardrobe designer and she's fabulous. Sabrina, Shawn and her gang of miracle workers found the best stuff from the mid-'90s to dress us all in. Our clothes were perfect. Horrifying, but perfect.
We shot a lot of the episode on a boat in Marina Del Ray. Just south of Santa Monica. It was supposed to be a moving boat, but if you pay attention you'll see that we just sit in the harbor and don't move. Obviously we didn't have the budget to be on a moving boat. That's what's called an "inside tidbit." I know… thank me later.
We're celebrating Andrew's birthday in the present, and in another hilarious Melanie Paxson scene she and Sunkrish Bala bust a move in Andrew's honor. I have to say, it was impressive. The producers hired a choreographer and Sunkrish and Melanie worked it out. That's hot, right? Wow, not feeling the "hot" blog right now. I'll just keep writing and hope I happen upon hotness.
I do know I had a great time working on this show, and I'm so grateful that we get to come back next season. It has been an honor and a privilege to work on Notes from the Underbelly, and I hope you'll watch next season! Who knows, maybe TV Guide.com will let me blog again? Now that would be hot.
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