Smash -- "Glee for grownups"

Yeah, I am predicting crazed boyfriend shoots her, or better yet - like Marilyn, she dies of a drug overdose opening night and it puts the show in the headlines to make it a - “Smash” hit. Wonder who will be the understudy to step in for the opening night?

Now that the show has been renewed for season two, and they have fired the real writer of the show (complaining it has been too soap-opera-ish this season), I am wondering where they go. Continue with this fictional show on Broadway or start a new show? Is there really that much drama and excitement in following a Broadway show once it opens? Isn’t the whole allure of this show following the inception of the idea to the final product?

This week’s Smash: Abridged script: SMASH Abridged: Episode 11 - Broadway Abridged

[in response to randwill]

Sorry, I was unclear – agree that she’s only there for a few eps, but I’m wondering how they’ll handle the exit. Firing her seems unlikely.

Speaking of the Uma Thurman arc – do you think there will be blowback from not-gay-toady dissing her rep?

ETA: oops, didn’t realize we’d gone to the next page.

Well her comment along the lines of, “Oh, I can handle him.” was froth with portent.

Well I hope Uma departs the show sooner rather than later because that full number she did was awful. First of all she is far too old to play Marilyn and second she looked so awkward trying to be sexy while dancing. Plus she can barely sing. Ugh, I wanted it to end quickly.

I liked the lead-in to the Dig Deep Number (“mumble your lines unless it’s Stella!”). So far the only number I’ve really liked was the Zanuck number.

I think that firing the creator/writer, rude as it may sound, might actually- if they get somebody with talent- make this a good show. It has the raw materials. I also think that it would improve greatly if And Grace decided to save her marriage by going away with her husband to a cabin in New Zealand for three years and thus bring in a new writing partner, and Katharine McPhee’s character is tragically stampeded by police horses.

I agree wholeheartedly with everything in this post, with the exception of the last bit about McPhee. Cuz she’s purty, n stuff.

The number McPhee sang in the nightclub on last night’s episode was my favorite of her numbers so far. Does anybody know what it was?

And what did you think of Dev’s Bollywood number?

Oh, I know! It was Snow Patrol’s “Run.”

And while it’s a foregone conclusion Rebecca (Uma) is going to get peanut-poisoned, who do you think will do the deed and will she get one performance as Marilyn out first? And I think she was right about Marilyn singing the “Second Hand Piano” song- either give it to Marilyn or scrap it altogether as it’s entirely too long to be sung by “Inner Marilyn”.

I’m going to guess: Ellis with the blender in the rehearsal room.

I’ll say Ivy in the Study with potato chips (cooked in peanut oil).
Has anybody ever noticed how every meal on TV involves chopping up a cucumber or a carrot?

It was at that point that my wife and I both groaned in unison. Actually, she groaned and I started laughing. She show has now lost all credibility with me. But of course, I’ll still watch it.

So was Leo’s friend’s mom covering for him, or did she not know that there was an extra teenager living in her son’s room?

I don’t need to see another romantic scene between Eileen and Bartender Boy.

Hey, older people need their lovin’ too. But I’m with you on this one.

I’ll venture the peanut poisoning happens at the hand of crazed boyfriend just so we increase the odds that somebody here at the Dope gets it right.

[QUOTE=corkboard]
So was Leo’s friend’s mom covering for him, or did she not know that there was an extra teenager living in her son’s room?

[/QUOTE]

Given his acting, she probably mistook him for laminate wood flooring.

I’m going to vote Karen for peanut poisoner, but inadvertently, because Ellis and Ivy tricked her into leaving early so she didn’t know about the allergy.

And, BTW, one thing that’s really starting to piss me off about this show – bits in the promo all week that don’t appear in that week’s show (viz., this past week, “omigod, she’s collapsed, call a doctor!”).

Oh, Karen knows about the allergy. That was the whole big scene with Rebecca, Karen, and Dev at the restaurant.

:smack:

Okay, I’ll still pick Karen – because we’ll find out that the whole Iowa cornpone thing is a complete act, and she really is Eve Harrington.

Yes, McPhee did a fine job on that number - especially considering she had 12 seconds notice, did not know she was going to sing, quickly spoke about the key and choice of song, and was able to get up in front of a large, attentive audience without a rehearsal and not miss a note nor flub a word - she certainly has improved since her American Idol days.

I like Bollywood numbers - but instead of fun and frantic, this was unintentionally funny and they looked like they were in a panic.

And why would you be pissed at your SO because they are hitting the town and getting press for hanging out with a celebrity? You know she is not a lesbian, so there shouldn’t be any sexual jealousy going on, so what are you bitching and moaning about? Let her have her 15 minutes of fame and chill out. Plus, when meeting someone you already know is a spoiled brat celebrity, do you really expect high brow conversation and sanity?

This is totally turning into a Statler & Waldorf show for me…

I like Bollywood, and I like Dev, so I liked that number in an “it’s entertaining” way. But it also made me roll my eyes: so, what, everyone on the show sings and dances (even if it’s just in Karen’s imagination)? It really is turning more and more into Glee.

Leo needs to get hit by a bus. The whole time he was missing I was hoping for a dark plot twist. Julia and her hubby can finally just divorce and get it over with, and we won’t have to see any more “teenager with the emotional maturity of a 9-year-old” (no offense to 9-year-olds).

I’m a little bummed that Rebecca is such a caricature of the insensitive, spoiled, dubiously talented star. Her crash-and-burn and/or poisoning is inevitable.

The whole text message ruse was unbelievable to me. Ellis had to ask Karen for her phone, presumably meaning that he didn’t have her number, so when she got the text wouldn’t it have come from an unfamiliar number? And hadn’t she and Rebecca left in the middle of rehearsal, and wouldn’t that combination of things make her question the authenticity of the text? (I also don’t get why Julia’s absence would automatically mean that Karen wasn’t needed: I know Julia’s writing the book and all, but couldn’t everyone still rehearse?)

I love bartender guy, but cannot get past the fact that Anjelica Huston looks like a man in drag (not a drag queen: most of the drag queens I’ve known have been prettier and more feminine). I have a hard time buying that he’d find her so attractive. But I know that’s just me – I’ve always thought that about her – and not necessarily a failing of the show.