Did You Know? Series & Set Secrets

From where it was written to how they made it happen, here are some more reasons to appreciate SSD.

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I love learning things about how my favorite shows are made, and Martha clued me in on some pretty incredible untold stories about music, casting and critical scenes that I'm now sharing with you in this quick Did You Know? post.

So...Did You Know...?

• ShOliver's most devastating argument was written at the happiest place on earth. No kidding---Martha was on vacation at Disneyland and ended up writing that Edge of Forever argument in one of the bars. She was pretty proud of what she cranked out given the challenging circumstances! Pretty sure we can all agree it was pretty extraordinary as well.
  

• That magical owl in For Christmas was apparently not magical to work with as hoped. It took them hours to get that shot of the owl swooping down, which was critical, as it prompted NoRita to bump heads, re-enacting the moment they met.

• Larke Miller, the original Eleanor, really was supposed to come back. Martha and company had every intention of working her into the series in some capacity, hence the several references to her early on. By they time they were ready to bring her back in, however, she had signed on to another show, thus Eleanor became free to take on a new, and perhaps in the end more meaningful, identity.

• Lane Edwards was NOT supposed to play Lester Kimsicle---Let that sink in for a second. In an unexpected twist, Martha actually had a comedian in mind to fill the One In A Million role. By the time they went to do the table read, however, the first man slated to play Kimsicle was offered a role on Broadway, which, of course, Martha told him to take. Lane Edwards sat in during the table read, and the rest is history. Also, I think Martha is well aware of our obsession with Kimsicle, which could be enough to bring him back at some point.
  

• The epic From Paris With Love soundtrack was the result of a last-minute deal swap Martha made with the network. Instead of actually filming the Paris shots with Holly in Paris (which they were going to pay for), Martha made a last minute deal to shoot the scenes locally and put the money saved towards enhancing the soundtrack.

• The voices you hear in Oliver's choir are really just Martha Williamson and James Jandrisch. No, really, it's just them harmonizing in different keys. They did have to layer Eric's voice into the tracks, but the other multiple voices are, in fact, a result of James and Martha's flawless partnership.
  

• The closest Martha has ever come to breaking the "fourth wall" on the show was as the anchor reporting on 9/11 in The Edge of Forever. Martha only did that as a last-minute production need. So for anyone hoping she might write in a love interest for Papa O'Toole that she would also play, that probably won't happen...
  

Pretty cool, huh? It really does take a lot of little miracles to make this show happen. I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way.

Better Educated,
~C