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Sims are aiming for fame like never before! Fashion, music and movie industries are growing rapidly, soon with famous sims living in many neighbourhoods. Read about my first visit to Studio Town and how I ended up on the cover of "The Superstar Insider"!

You must have heard it, already! Studio Town is expanding like never before and there might exist plans on new establishments near your neighbourhood! You might actually count days until you will give it a try - a brand new career aiming for fame by acting, posing or singing. The fashion industry is growing rapidly these days, and so is the music and movie business.

Sims all over Sim Nation have already signed up for auditions, and the artist agencies are busier than ever. Fame and Simoleons are the big temptation, but whether we like it or not, the result will also include a never ending line of disappointments and broken illusions, as not everyone has what it takes to become a Superstar! I mean, I'm cool and trendy and like you can see I already made the cover of "The Superstar Insider". You probably understand that not everyone in Sim Nation can be as talented as I am. And I'm worried on behalf of the already stressed Social Services.

Well, the article in "The Superstar Insider" trend magazine was not about me being a model, but about me, the websimtress Bimbo NL visiting Studio Town. You see, being a journalist and web master sure has its advantages! Before the average Sims are allowed to enter the new local Studio Town quarters, I was invited to have a look. And - honest - I was talked into posing for that cover!

Meeting with Lana in Studio Town
Simmerville has not yet accepted the entertainment business' request of land for Studio Town expansions, so I had to travel closer to SimCity. I had a deal with the Studio Town Production Co-ordinator, Lana. She is the busiest Sim I ever met, with all her contacts, appointments and all the superstars call her by her first name! Her job doesn't seem so appealing, but what a hectic environment! I'm impressed she wanted to meet with me!

- Dear Bimbo NL, you look great! Did you ever consider modelling? You must meet my friend, Tom Sulley, he is always in search of new talented models! Oh! Dear, my cell phone again, excuse me, Bimbo!

So, before I even managed to ask her my first question, she got a call, and I sat down in the white studio chair, waiting while I looked great, just like I always do.

- Sorry about that, Miss NL. Oh, I can't stay long, you better start shooting!

- Sure, Lana! I know the Studio business is growing wildly lately these days, and I was curious to what opportunities would any regular Sim find here at Studio Town?

I noticed Lana looked at me in a weird way, like if I just asked her a silly question. - Well, she started, any sim who wants to work in the entertainment or fashion industry should give it a try. They can become rock stars, movie stars or super models and live the lifestyle of a celebrity, but we are of course looking for sims who are talented. You might say you find 4 categories sims here in Studio Town; us that works here as project leaders and such, the superstars, those who still sing in karaoke bars after trying too hard or due to lack of talent, and finally the fans.

- So, if I want to become a superstar, what options would I get?

- Well, most sims here work with music, movies or fashion. I guess those are the main themes. But you can hang out here as a fan, or just trying to make friends with the celebrities without working with them. There are the spa locations where you can get a massage or even have a mud bath or relax in the steamer. There are karaoke bars and clothing boutiques too, I'm sure most sims will fancy strolling about. And maybe they even run into the real celebrities, such as Marilyn, Andy or Christina. They are so famous - I've heard that Andy's butler flush the toilet for him, ha! But they are all great sims, although they are icons. I hope you will get to see one of them - at least from a distance!

Even if Lana didn't personally know those 3 super-superstars, she obviously knew a lot of famous sims. I had to come up with something, being a websimtress wasn't enough. If knowing a lot of stars meant that much, I could always pretend.
- Oh, I know what you mean, Marilyn is actually my Aunt, I stated to my own surprise.

She looked at me with eyes that almost popped out from her face.
- Marilyn is your aunt? Really! That's amazing! Lana looked confused and very interested. It was a bit satisfying to me seeing a "knowing all the right sims" sim losing her grip. - Fantastic, I didn't know she had a niece! Bimbo NL, this makes your visit twice as much appreciated!

Lana was a sweat woman, kind but determined. I could tell from her look that my time was up.

- Oh, another call! she said, getting up from the chair.

- That's ok, Lana, I need to be going, I can tell you are very busy.

Lana waved at me, telling me to wait. - Yes Tom! That is good news, I'll send her over to your studio. Be gentle with her, she is Marilyn's niece, and I think it's her very first visit to Studio Town! What? Ah, fantastic, Lynn is available, too? I'll send Miss NL over to Lynn's recording studio first then, and you will greet her afterwards! Thank you Tom, and tell Andy that he should meet her too! Oh, and that he forgot his umbrella over at Christina's place last night!

Lana hung up. - You see, they all know you from the Simmerville web, Miss NL, they all want to meet you!

I was about to faint! Those sims working in Studio Town knew me?

- Don't pretend you didn't know, Miss NL! We have been keeping an eye on you, ha! Well, first you will visit Lynn over at her recording studio, she is a record producer. She has got 30 minutes for you, then she will direct you to Tom's model agency. Okey?

Lynn Recordings
I crossed the street, noticing some photographers taking some pictures of a superstar who I did not recognize. Then the fans were flocking to them screaming for autographs.

- There you are! Welcome to Lynn Recordings, Miss NL. It's a pleasure to meet Marilyn's niece! I'm just about to give an audition, but those singers are used to waiting.

- Thanx, Lynn. It's so cool to be her, you know. I need some info for an article about the expansion of Studio Town.

- No problem, Miss NL. Please have a seat, or perhaps you would like to sing in my studio, just for the fun of it? Your Aunt does sing a little, you know!

There was no mirror, but I could feel how my face turned red. Had this woman been standing outside my bathroom while I was singing in the shower? Or did anyone tell her how badly I play the piano? They sure forgot to tell her that's because I hate playing those white piano tangents because the black ones match my hair so much better!

- Thanx, would be cool, but perhaps some other time, I replied and got seated next to her. - So, you work with the famous singers? How would my neighbour approach this industry?

Lynn sipped some warm coffee from a mug which looked like it needed cleaning about 9 cups ago.
- Most singers start their career at the bars. The karaoke bars, that is. You know, the agents hang out there, and to prove your talent you need to sing in public. Later on they come to me, to record some songs, and with some luck that is when they start earning any money. It takes a lot of work in a recording studio though. I'm quite serious, and I never release a cd from my studio label unless it's brilliant. Some singers actually gave up after weeks of mixing and recording, and they often return to the open microphone stages. It sure takes some guts to make success in this industry.

- But how about the glitz? I thought those working with you were superstars?

- Depends, Miss NL. You can call the karaoke singers stars if you like, but I'd say they need a lot more than a voice to become a superstar! Besides, any singer who doesn't produce a music video will hardly succeed. Did you know that a song sell more if you include some dancers and nice choreography? We have experts to help with all this over at the Music Video Set. Oh - my cell phone, just a second!

She talked very loudly. - Hello Christina! How are you today? Sitting by the pool? Oh, well, you should soon decide which songs we should keep for the next cd. Oh, hold on, I've got a visitor...

She suddenly turned away talking more quietly, probably thinking that I could not hear the conversation. - It's the web master, you know, the one I told you about, the one who can't sing or play the piano. Yes!!! That's the one! Well, she turned out to be Marilyn's niece, and Marilyn don't have much of a voice, either. Haha, well, hold on, I must ask her to leave, I'll tell her to visit Andy at the movie studio because Tom isn't expecting her yet. I'll call you right back, Christina.

At the movie studio
I couldn't blame Lynn, although she just sent me off to the movie studio, after only 5 minutes instead of 30. Well, I stay cool, and being famous from making a web site or playing the piano falsely, doesn't really matter in the long run if it's fame you are after.

I read the poster as I walked into the Movie Studio, Richter&Ritcher. "Can you impress a big time studio town director?" it said. Inside the impressive building the movie director Andy Richter was waiting for me.

- Hello Miss NL! Welcome to Richter&Ritcher! Do you feel like fighting in an old castle or crying at the hospital bed of your beloved one? Hehe. Perhaps you are as talented as your famouse Aunt? Come on in, Lynn told me you have got some questions for me.

- Thanx, that's so cool, Mr Ritchther. Did you ever produce a film featuring Jonathan Hanssen? He is my neighbour, u know! 

- Oh, yes, right, I never produced him though, my latest films were "Murder of the Maid" and "Upside down in Downtown". I know his name, he is so clever! Being so young and still so talented! He is very talented I must say! 

Mr Hanssen young and talented? His oldest kid just turned 11... Did this movie producer too just pretending to know the stars?

- I can't believe that Lana didn't already know about Marilyn having a niece. We do talk about the same Marilyn, don't we? The superstar?

- Yes, I lied, expecting nobody to know such an icon personaly anyway. - I don't see her that often though, we had some fries and eggs at Elmer's Burger last week though...

- Really? I didn't know she likes eggs and fries? Well, she did some great movies, and now she is a great inspiration to sims who try their fortune on the big screen. We, the producers and directors meet a lot of different sims, which is good because we need different characters for the casting. But I wish more of them were talented like your Aunt. Oh, time is flying, I think Tom is waiting for you. Just cross the street, he will be waiting for you, and I think he will have a surprise for you, too!

Tom Sulley's Model Agency
I never before wanted to pose, but with Lana's words in my mind, and the delicate posters decorating the entrance of the Model Agency, I found the modelling career to look more appealing than I expected.

- Welcome, dear, dear Bimbo NL! So nice to see you here! Oh my! Lana was right, you should consider modelling! What a nose, your profile is extremely well suited for the new "urban sims" trend. If you just had a face adjustment to make your ears smaller and your mouth wider, you could hit the covers right away!

I tried my best smile, making it wider than ever. - Thanx, Tom.

- You are a little early, but while I get ready you can watch the final preparing for our next fashion show!

Just after the show, Tom insisted on me posing for the next issue of "The Superstars Insider". His photographer shot some pictures, he said they were ok, that I was talented, and that it even would make a great cover, the others would illustrate the article about Marilyn's niece visiting Studio Town!

- That is not a good idea, I protested. I didn't quite realize what such an article would mean. - I'm not that good at posing, hopefully the magazine will come up with some other idea!

Tom then guided me into his big office, where he answered a few of my questions.

- Modelling Agencies are currently having good days, he explained. - We have new hopeful sims at our door every day, and because of the variety, it's quite hard and time consuming to make a selection. A professional photographer will of course see who are meant for walking the cat walk or posing in the studio set, but all this is a long process. And the fashion designers don't always agree with the photographers and agencies.

- It must be very hard to find the right talents then. I assume that only a few sims can succeed in this industry?

- Just a few can reach the absolute top. There are not even enough Simmy awards and SimChoice Awards to please all those talented sims, Tom said. - So even between the superstars there might be some fights. Not physically, necessarily, but you know it's a tough business. And add the Paparazzo and some very annoying fans, I really think the superstars pay a lot for their fame. It takes lots to build up that much fame, you would need to get the right friends, because as soon as a superstar helps another sim, the way to success seems so much shorter. Like if you decided to start acting, and Marilyn, your aunt, helped you to establish the right contacts and getting you some good movies, it would be very good for your career.

I was writing everything down, busy with my little notebook, hardly looking up at Tom at all. He went on.

- All of us, including Lana, Lynn, Andy and myself are really impressed with you, Bimbo NL. We knew about your work with the Simmerville web site, but none of us knew that you are Marilyn's niece. That was quite a surprise to us all! So, Lana called your aunt Marilyn asking her to give you a ride back to Simmerville. Marilyn has a great limousine, and the two of you can sit and talk and have a drink while her chauffeur takes care of the driving.

I stopped writing. Instead I first looked at Tom, then at the door into his office. The door was opened, and there was Marilyn! The S*U*P*E*R*S*T*A*R herself! I was about to faint again, and I must have blushed. I got up from the chair, Marilyn smiled at me. I knew I had made a complete fool of myself saying I was her relative. I was so ashamed!

She smiled at me, it was like a sculpture bursting into life. - Dear niece Bimbo, she said and giggled. - A bottle of pink champagne is in my car waiting for our family reunion!