NBC's SMASH, Season 2 -- Discussion- Page 97

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:38am

Not really in the eyes, though

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:00am

>>All these alleged fans posting 93 pages of mostly bashing. Cynics! Oh, and get off McFee's bones too. How well could you act out the lines that girl is given by the world's worst dialogue writers? 'I want to be with you...for a long time' How utterly Romeo and Juliet can you get!

Jack Davenport has awful lines too. But he injects them with personality and makes that sh*t WORK.

(Edited because I apparently can't spell. But thanks to those downthread who corrected my error without comment!)
Updated On: 5/1/13 at 11:00 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:02am

It's not like in these cursed 93 pages no one else has complained about the writing, but like others have been saying, the good actors on the show manage to overcome it, or at least mitigate it. But McFeeMcPhee is not one of the good actors.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:05am

Jack Davenport has awful lines too. But he injects them with personality and makes that sh*t WORK.

I agree.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:21am

I heard that Davenport also liked to improv a lot; sometimes they would leave his lines in. Maybe that's why he comes off so well!

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:27pm

Phyliss - McPhee is not a good actress but in all fairness they put her on the show because she was in "American Idol" and might help get ratings. (sadly not -lol). I have not checked her "bio" but don't think she has ever acted before SMASH. She has pretty good "Pop" voice and did not do bad with "Bombshell" songs even though we all know Hilty is better. I find it more disturbing that debra messing is so horrible in this show because she is a experienced actress.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:30pm

Smash wasn't the first time she attempted to act.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:31pm

McPhee was in the film House Bunny. I know it's not much of a credit, but she has acted before.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:34pm

She is also attended Boston University to study musical theatre and dropped out to become an actress.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:39pm

She's appeared on some TV shows, like Community and Ugly Betty (even though she played herself on Betty)

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:44pm

I try to block out her appearance on Community.

[LALALand]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:48pm

She was also in Shark Night 3D.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:54pm

She did a show out in LA prior to being on American Idol (a friend of mine was in the cast).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:56pm

Good thing for McFee that Law & Order & CSI need corpses every week. Her acting career will really take off now that she's not tied down to SMASH and she can really show off her range.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 12:56pm

I know Grimm is already an established "hit" for NBC, but it did pretty well in the Smash spot last night with a 2.0.

Certainly better than Smash or Ready For Love ever did.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/05/01/tv-ratings-tuesday-the-voice-dips-grimm-rises-ncis-up-new-girl-ncis-los-angeles-down/180463/

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 2:03pm

I thought that McPhee was okay on Community, probably because her character was bitchy. She only ever seems to be able to pull off bitchy.

[Talulah]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 2:45pm

Yes, but he is not dead yet
He can dance and he can sing
However,if that car really whacked him
we can say...

Well now he's dead
You whacked him on the head
Sure, now he's dead
It makes me just see red
You are such a brute
To murder that old coot
You homicidal bastard, now he's really dead
Who is the knave who put him in his grave
And who needs to manage his anger?

we know the answer to that one, don't we?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 2:47pm

I don't think we even know the question.

[Patronus]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 2:55pm

[Talulah]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 3:07pm

No, we all don't know Hilty is a better singer. I have seen them both perform live and I call it a draw.

As to overcoming the bad writing, Katharine McPhee has had some minor parts on TV and a movie or two. Musical theater is also part of her resume. I thought she was quite good last year when the writing was definitively better for an unsophisticated Iowa corn girl.

This year, she has been given mostly brain-dead one-liners to deliver. This year's writers are clueless when it comes to developing an Iowa corn girl character. Shame on them, not McPhee. In fact, historically Broadway writers haven't a clue when it comes to developing this type of character. I am thinking of Carousel, in particular. I also think the writers were trying to create a Billy type character when it came to Jimmy but forgot to bring at least one teenie weenie redeeming characteristic to the role. The world despises Jimmy! If Kyle is dead, the writers need to perform some Hara-Kiri on themselves.

[suestorm]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 3:11pm

[OperaBwayLover]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 3:17pm

Methinks one of the die-hard McPhee fans has found us...in any case, welcome. Just be nice and we'll get along fine.

The funny thing is, I liked McPhee in House Bunny. But I cannot stand McPhee's Karen the majority of the time on Smash. She has a lovely voice, and I have enjoyed some of her songs...but as a whole I prefer Hilty as Ivy. And it's not because I'm a 'Broadway snob,' I just like her voice better.

[suestorm]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 3:43pm

""No, we all don't know Hilty is a better singer. I have seen them both perform live and I call it a draw.""

beauty and i guess music is subjective, but in my opinion, i havent heard anything this ridiculous since People Mag accepted Marvels money to name Gwyneth Paltrow Most beautiful

[Kad]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 3:54pm

Virtually every critic has commented on Hilty's superior vocals.

[Talulah]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 3:58pm

"And it's not because I'm a 'Broadway snob,' I just like her voice better."

And to this I say, to each, his own. I respect your opinion. What bothers me are the declarative statements made as to which of the two is the better singer. I believe it is matter of taste. period. I say they are both equal in their abilities. My problem with Hilty is, per my ears, her voice has a slightly irritating edge to it and she is a bit too Ethel Merman loudish for my taste. However all was forgiven when she performed "They Just Keep Moving The Line". I. Love. That. Song!

In re autotuning; it is not allowed on American Idol. I can attest to the number of pitchy performances I have endured on that show.

I think the reason a number of the American Idol contestants have successfully made it on Broadway is that they can actually sing.

My mantra now is, Fire the writers and bring back Smash for at least one more season.