Hey, y'all know CMT?
Yes, that's Country Music Television, with all those videos coming at you from Music City, USA. It's the same channel where you can catch classic modern westerns like Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" if you tune in at the right time.
Well, get ready to watch Pauly Shore and some nice folks from Tennessee sharing fun and frolics on the Emerald Coast when "Paid Vacation" debuts at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
In early March, the Deas family from Murfreesboro, Tenn., spent a week at the Outside the Box Cottage owned by The Cottage Rental Agency at Seaside.
This program is a pilot produced by Taillight Productions, with the goal of having it picked up as a series by CMT. That could mean more episodes get produced here.
At this point, we could quote any number of local tourism professionals about the potential impact. But this one you can figure out for yourself. Viewers from all over America can start to figure out who and where we are, and what makes it all so special.
Tracy Louthain from the Beaches of South Walton and Jon Ervin from The Cottage Rental Agency were part of the brainstorming process when the producers decided they wanted to tape here.
"It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about all the authentic experiences they could have here," Louthain said. "Because along with the natural beauty, what we have to offer in this area is the people and experiences."
Our visiting family is Brad and Brandi Deas and their children: son Jackson, 11; daughter Lilly Belle, 9; daughter Cambell, 21 months; and son Cooper, 9 months.
Traveling and vacationing while a TV crew records most of what you're doing can prove a bit challenging. But that wasn't the only reason Brad Deas said this visit was much, much different than a weekend trip to Panama City several years ago.
Having chef Johnny Earles of Criolla's come to the cottage to display the skills that have made him famous was part of this experience.
"It was just unbelievable," was how Brad Deas summarized the week. "We would absolutely love to go back and visit. The people there were so nice and we've never seen anything like the beaches there."
Of course why you would take children to Fish out of Water is beyond me. :roll: I still have it on TiVo, gonna try to record it.
