I beam at Seth. I love how he has my back when it comes to Mom. Seth hasn't said it in so many words, but Nadine thinks Mom's managerial style really gets under his skin.

"Several of the projects Kaitlin is considering are very promising." Seth winks at me.

"I finished that TV pilot about the teens in Alaska and I thought it was remarkable," I tell them. The writer for the show is phenomenal. Even though the idea of a new TV show scares me, this script was so good I couldn't put it down.

"I'm trying to get you a meeting next week," Seth says. "Are you game?"

"I hated it," Mom interjects. "A show set in Alaska sounds boring. That's the only TV pilot I've read that I've hated."

Seth and I just look at her. If Mom tries to stop me from meeting with this director, I'll freak out. My mother, more than anyone, should know what kind of roles appeal to her daughter and what don't.

"I can't wait to hear what you think of the play when you're finished reading it," Seth tries to change the subject.

"I started reading it last night and it's really good," I admit. I'm still terrified of the idea of live theater, but I think being onstage could be very liberating. Dad's right. Every night your performance is different, and every night the audience reacts to it differently. It sounds like great thespian training. And a play is something that could help me transition from being just a teen actress to a more grown-up one.

When I think about it, I do have a lot of good choices. I just have to get past the idea of accepting one of them as my new job (if I'm offered one, of course). I can like the scripts all I want, but the idea of committing to something makes me want to breathe in a paper bag.

"I still think TV is the way to go," Mom says stubbornly. "It's much more stable."

"That's not true, Meg," Seth interjects again, sounding a wee bit strained. "Pilots are a gamble. Kaitlin could work with a brilliant director and a talented cast and the show could still not get picked up."

Seth knows HOLLYWOOD SECRET NUMBER SIX: Very early in the pilot season, the buzz always centers around pilots that have star quality of some sort. If the show has a big-name creator, is a popular current show's spin-off, is based on a popular book or movie, or has a star attached, then everyone gets all excited and writes about how the pilot is the next Friends or Sex and the City or Gossip Girl. Sadly, it rarely works out that way. At the end of the day it doesn't matter who wrote the pilot or who is attached to star or what book the pilot was based on -- to get picked up, the show has to be good. It's that simple.