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Smash on NBC HDTV

21K views 396 replies 49 participants last post by  Cal1981 
#1 ·
So after all the hype what did everyone think? I enjoyed the show, found it interesting that they are weaving several plots within the show. I like seeing the writing interwoven wiht the search for a lead. I don't belive for a moment that this type of thing happens, but I'm going to enjoy the ride, will be tuning in to see where things go.
 
#77 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by flint350 /forum/post/21739942


In case you don't know, Kristen Chenoweth is in the new show GCB. Though I'm not normally a fan of such shows (based solely on the description, haven't seen it yet obviously), I love Chenoweth and try to see any show she is in. What a voice! Her version of Alone by Heart on Glee was incredible.

Not to be crass but, besides all that talent, there are at least two other reasons why I love to watch her. What a figure! I still fondly remember her mermaid costume from that episode of 'Pushing Daisies'. Wowser!
 
#78 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by flint350 /forum/post/21739942


In case you don't know, Kristen Chenoweth is in the new show GCB. Though I'm not normally a fan of such shows (based solely on the description, haven't seen it yet obviously), I love Chenoweth and try to see any show she is in. What a voice! Her version of Alone by Heart on Glee was incredible.

I have a season pass for GCB but haven't watched the Pilot episode yet. Chenoweth's One Less Bell to answer duet, with Will (Matthew Morrison), was my all time favorite Glee performance. It gets me every time. Wow! I just hope that the music in Smash maintains the quality we have seen so far and doesn't fall off a cliff like Glee.
 
#79 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat /forum/post/21742250


I have a season pass for GCB but haven't watched the Pilot episode yet. Chenoweth's One Less Bell to answer duet, with Will (Matthew Morrison), was my all time favorite Glee performance. It gets me every time. Wow! I just hope that the music in Smash maintains the quality we have seen so far and doesn't fall off a cliff like Glee.

One of the best duets ever on Glee. Burt Bacharach expertly sung by two top rate pros. You would not believe the McPhee bashing that is going on on TWOP and other sites. There's a certain snobbishness to a lot of it but each to his own I guess. I think that, for someone with limited acting experience, she's doing just fine. We did watch GCB last night and were pleasantly surprised by how funny it was. Chenoweth was her usual engaging, snarky self but Annie Potts stole every scene she was in. It's worth a test viewing.
 
#81 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt L /forum/post/21740218


All I can say is tonight's "It's a Man's World" was one of the hottest renditions I have ever seen. I am beginning to wonder what this show would have looked like on Showtime. Really liked the closing with "A song for you"

While it's certainly not as "hot" as McPhee's cover, my favorite is still Concrete Blonde's cover of "It's a Man's World". IMHO, Johnette did a better job of capturing the angst that is lurking in this song when sung by a woman better than McPhee did. But wow is McPhee every in great shape right now. She must have worked hard to get in that good of shape, might as well show it off.

 
#82 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 /forum/post/21742639


One of the best duets ever on Glee. Burt Bacharach expertly sung by two top rate pros. You would not believe the McPhee bashing that is going on on TWOP and other sites. There's a certain snobbishness to a lot of it but each to his own I guess. I think that, for someone with limited acting experience, she's doing just fine. We did watch GCB last night and were pleasantly surprised by how funny it was. Chenoweth was her usual engaging, snarky self but Annie Potts stole every scene she was in. It's worth a test viewing.

Chenoweth and Potts are the funny little southern honeys from central casting. I am looking forward to seeing them in GCB. I can hardly believe that Potts will turn 60 this year.


I agree that Katharine McPhee's acting skills are entirely adequate. With her voice and looks she doesn't need more than that, it seems to me. McPhee is perfectly cast in Smash.
 
#83 ·
I think the casting is spot on, everyone (with the possible exception of Debra Messing) is absolutely right for their part. We see a lot of broadway and have even hung out at the stage door (met Kristen Chenowith that way-- boy she is tiny!) and I think the show really rings true in a lot of ways. Great songs, too. One of the shows I look forward to.
 
#84 ·
The casting is terrific here, but I do agree about Messing. I usually like her a lot, but she has a certain matronly look and attitude here that I'm not fond of. The other downer for me is the Ellis character. He's creepy evil and not in the dramatic good way. As for McPhee, her acting level is just fine and in actuality fits the role very well as an up and coming star. Kind of like playing her own story.
 
#85 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by flint350 /forum/post/21746101


The casting is terrific here, but I do agree about Messing. I usually like her a lot, but she has a certain matronly look and attitude here that I'm not fond of. The other downer for me is the Ellis character. He's creepy evil and not in the dramatic good way. As for McPhee, her acting level is just fine and in actuality fits the role very well as an up and coming star. Kind of like playing her own story.

I agree and we really don't know exactly what the directors are asking KM to do in each scene but she's doing well. The folks in this forum seem to, by and large, accept Smash and enjoy it for what it is as opposed to other venues where the majority of comments are wholesale attacks on the show, KM or both. You almost feel like saying "if you dislike so much about a show, why are you continuing to watch it?" I can understand many having very high expectations based on the early promos and the first episode but the show is what it is and it does have a reasonably accurate theater framework surrounding its soap opera aspects (at least according to my kid who really appreciated little details like the tape on the rehersal studio floor which her aching knees can attest to
).
 
#86 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 /forum/post/21746622


You almost feel like saying "if you dislike so much about a show, why are you continuing to watch it?"

LOL ... I see the message is starting to sink in.



Like I said above, I'm still watching, but it's starting to feel a bit like 'Grey's Big Broadway Production.'


Completely pleasant, safe, predictable, non-threatening, non-challenging ... with a bit of a callback to the Reagan Administration (just say-no
)


I'm not sure that the musical features are going to be able to overcome the pedestrian "book."



One of these years, perhaps the "media people/critics" might learn that the public at large doesn't really want to know "how the sausage is made." We just want an entertaining show ... and maybe 'a bit with a dog (or cat.)'


Ok rant done ... carry on.
 
#87 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jandron /forum/post/21744532


We see a lot of broadway and have even hung out at the stage door (met Kristen Chenowith that way-- boy she is tiny!) and I think the show really rings true in a lot of ways. Great songs, too. One of the shows I look forward to.

Chenoweth really is tiny, 4 feet 11 inches and 95 pounds, maybe. Every time she belts out a song I wonder how that little body could contain such a big voice. So far, the music and dancing in Smash have been so well done, I have forgiven its predictable soap opera moments. Also, Glee has declined so precipitously, both musically and dramatically, by comparison, Smash is a great television.
 
#90 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by vfxproducer /forum/post/21748295


Don't hesitate. Take the plunge. Drop your season pass and join the rest of us who already did. You won't miss it.

Yep, I finally started the latest Glee episode last night and got to the end only by fast forwarding through about sixty percent of it. I thought it was a mess, both musically and dramatically, and then deleted my season pass. Thank God for Smash!
 
#91 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jandron /forum/post/21744532


I think the casting is spot on, everyone (with the possible exception of Debra Messing) is absolutely right for their part.

I think she does a great job. For me she comes across less as a caricature than (most of) the others with a little more depth.
 
#92 ·
I'm wondering if the ratings are dropping off as the posts in this thread have...


Anyway, I felt things really came together in the last episode, I think it was one of the best of the series. A little bit of Ivy's backstory helps, and it would be interesting to see Karen hit it big in another way.
 
#93 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt L /forum/post/21806019


I'm wondering if the ratings are dropping off as the posts in this thread have...

Not much worth talking about. Continues to be safe, non-threatening, non-challenging .... entertainment. Might as well be set in a northwestern US city's hospital.


OTOH, I did enjoy Ms. McPhee's opening studio session ... as well as her closing Bar Mitzvah tune last week ...


Can't think of anything else to say about it ...
 
#94 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt L /forum/post/21806019


A little bit of Ivy's backstory helps, and it would be interesting to see Karen hit it big in another way.

That was simply another cliche for me. As was how easily she blew off the audition. I'm still watching it for what it is... of late I have enjoyed Eileen Rand and I have come to accept Megan Hilty as Ivy. Since if she was better suited they couldn't have the endless plot-line of replacing her...

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) Uma Thurman will have a five-episode arc as a famous movie star who wants to play Marilyn.
 
#95 ·
We are a couple of episodes behind still, but I must admit my patience is wearing thin with Smash. I enjoy the show tune numbers, but not much else. There are too many characters that I just don't care about, and frankly, I find McPhee to be a pretty terrible actress - almost like she is just reciting lines at times. It's too bad - I wanted and expected to enjoy this show a lot more than I am right now.
 
#96 ·
I like it. It's frought with clichés, but it's a backstage story. What else are you going to do? Plus, I suspect cliché situations happen in real life when mounting plays. It's mythic. The same things happen over and over in myths. That's why they're myths.


This beats what Glee has morphed into up and down the block.
 
#98 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by zalusky /forum/post/21807601


Besides it TV what are they supposed to do!

Depends on what they want to do... right now I see it more as a 8:00pm show versus a 10:00pm show... if that makes any sense.
 
#99 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles R /forum/post/21807649


Depends on what they want to do... right now I see it more as a 8:00pm show versus a 10:00pm show... if that makes any sense.

Probably true. People are going to bed earlier these days and the 10PM shows are not pulling it in like they use to. So its all a little bit confusing these days.
 
#100 ·
Despite it's flaws, we are ejoying Smash. Maybe it's because we're "theater people" and there is enough of a look behind the scenes of a show ramping up but we pretty much all in on the show. I am sorry to see Will Chase get written out. He is a brilliant performer and his work on the final number on Monday "On Lexington and 52nd Street" was excellent. As much as Ivy's personality can be off-putting, Megan Hilty definitely has the goods and it's clear why she's a Broadway A-lister. Also love how Anjelica Houston's Eileen is taking a more prominent role in the show. She's just fun to watch.
 
#101 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 /forum/post/21808071


Despite it's flaws, we are ejoying Smash. Maybe it's because we're "theater people" and there is enough of a look behind the scenes of a show ramping up but we pretty much all in on the show.
There are reasons why most *rehearsals* are *not* open to the public ... just sayin' ...


Honestly, I think there's probably about 90 to 120 minutes worth of story here and trying to stretch that out over an entire TV season is just getting to be painful and tedious...


Oh and kids: Don't do drugs. Just say no. NBC Cares.
 
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