NBC's SMASH - Series & Broadway Adaptation Thread- Page 73

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 10:45am

I immediately thought Rebecca was faking/making herself sick in some way in order to get out of the show. She was so devastated that no one applauded

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 10:45am

Thurman was only contracted for the five episodes, so that is indeed her departure, which is a little bit of a shame since I truly found her presence really elevated the entire proceedings.

Obviously, only in a fairy tale Broadway would a major movie star depart the production to be replaced by a chorus girl (how about a number showing 90 percent of the audience asking for a refund) but at least the show is finally playing up its soap opera potential.

I think for season two they'll be some big changes coming to the cast and creative.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 10:50am

I like Sam, and though that he was really great during his portion of the song (wish he did the whole song).

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 10:59am

"We've got the devoutly religious Christian gay man, an implied-agnostic/atheist gay Jew, and Wesley Taylor, who nobody knows exactly where he is on the spectrum except that he doesn't like church."

We've already had the gay man/church storyline on Glee. Smash is too late to the game.

And I found the church scene ridiculous. I could understand the chorus kids going (even though I'm sure they are exhausted from tech rehearsals), but when Deb showed up with her husband and half-wit son, that was stretching credibility too much.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:01am

Now, see...I can't believe some of you bitches are hating on the Church scene. I mean it was TERRIBLE. But, it gave us what is now my second-favorite Karen line:

"I love church!"

That was a line. That was a line written by a very talented writer. That was a line uttered by a dead-eyed actress that someone somewhere thinks we should be rooting for. That was a line on a major network television show. It was brilliant in its banality. Just. Brilliant.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:06am

People on soap operas don't go to church unless there is a wedding or funeral. The only exception I've seen to this rule is Dot on EastEnders and they went to great lengths to explain that when her character was removed from London as a child she was put up with a family who gave her religious instruction.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:08am

I didn't really care for the church scene. I wasn't quite sure what the purpose of it was other than an excuse to sing a gospel song. It seemed like an ending to a Tyler Perry movie.

I was hoping that when Nick told Eileen that he was going to go make sure that Ellis got a ride that he was actually going to go rough him up.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:08am

Gothampc - no, actually the new ending of the show will have Monroe dying on her bed and then you hear the voice of Elton John singing "Candle In The Wind" - lol.

Updated On: 5/8/12 at 11:08 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:22am

Did we ever find out why Anjelica's boyfriend had his arm in a cast?

yankeefan7, I like it. Maybe they should do like "Drood" and have the audience vote on the ending.

Mark A on your ballot if you want Marilyn to die and Elton to sing "Candle"

Mark B on your ballot if you want Marilyn to live and sing "Let Me Be Your Star"

Mark C on your ballot if you want an actress to recreate the scene that Shelley Winters tells in her book when she heard Marilyn had died.

Mark D on your ballot if you think the death was a way for Joe and Arthur to get together as a couple and they will come out and sing "Bosom Buddies".

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:27am

E if Zanuck eulogizes her, like Che at the end of Evita.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:30am

It’s interesting to see a show like "Smash" which is in no way an "issues/very special episode" show the way "Glee" has become, tackling this sociological subject…

Are you kidding me? Here is a short list of the issues this series has tackled:

1) DRUG ADDICTION/ALCOHOLISM
2) INFIDELITY
3) RAISING A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD WHILE TRYING TO MAINTAIN A HIGH PROFILE CAREER AND EXTRAMARITAL LOVE AFFAIR
4) AGEISM AND MISOGYNY IN THE BROADWAY PRODUCING CIRCLES
5) USING ILL GAINED FUNDS FOR PERSONAL FULFILLMENT
6) UNDER USE OF ASIAN AMERICAN TALENT
7) HOMOSEXUALS IN MUSICAL THEATER
THE CASTING COUCH

The list goes on!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:34am

Mark F if you prefer a Les Miz ending with Truman Capote and Lee Strasberg entering singing "Come with me, where chains will never bind you"

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:34am

And don't forget: TECH: A NECESSARY EVIL THAT LEADS TO PTSD.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:37am

"Are you kidding me? Here is a short list of the issues this series has tackled:"

You forgot "how to fool the Chinese government into thinking you want to adopt a baby".

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:45am

I mean, it deals with issues, every show does. That's what makes plots a lot of the time. But Glee, on the other hand, DEALS with ISSUES. You can count on your fingers the gay-pride episode, the mortality episode, the transgender episode, the anti-bullying episode, etc.

It's Very Special Episodes, which Shash thus far does not do.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:47am

Don't miss Smash Season 2, with new guest stars:

Tonya Pinkins plays Marilyn's maid:
All I do all day long
is pick up after that dizzy blonde
her lingerie is strewn about, it's time for this girl to get out
She's fat! Fat! Fat! Faaaaaaaaaaaaaat!

AND

Jennifer Love Hewit as Audrey Hepburn:
Marilyn: But Tru wrote Breakfast for me
Audrey: But I fit the costume

LET ME BE YOUR STAR!!!!!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:48am

Every episode of SMASH is a special episode in my book.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:51am

I can't believe that I agree with Ellis, but I'm glad that Uma Thurman's character is out of the show. She did not look like Marilyn to me and her singing was subpar IMO.

And now of course we're back to the stupid "Ivy vs. Karen!" stuff. I hope it's Ivy.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:52am

I didn't feel the church scene was in any way gratuitous. In addition, to providing a gospel number (which I, for one, enjoyed), it:

a) put Karen and Sam in their element, reinforcing their back stories as well as showing off their talents, organically suggesting their initial love for singing started in church b) gave Sam his first solo c) underscored the differences between Tom and Sam, which can either be a blessing or a curse to the future of their relationship, and d) most immediately for this episode, elevated Dev and Ivy's spiritual crisis/guilt in quite an effective way, foreshadowed and complemented by Dev's post-cheating self-loathing and by Ivy's remorse as Karen "introduced" them, and her heartfelt support of and praise of Karen during the first preview; and foreshadowing Dev's almost confession (don't do it, Dev!).

For all these reasons, it worked dramatically.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:57am

I found Christian Boyfriend's condescending attitude in every church-related line of dialogue to be so irritating I want the character killed off.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 11:58am

You all do know that on the shows final episode, Karen will wake up in Iowa and this will all have just been a cautionary dream of what can happen if you date an Indian guy.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 12:01pm

The church scene tried to do too much.

It should have been just Christian and the boyfriend and made some character epiphany for Christian.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 12:02pm

Ivy is preggers with Dev's baby and will have to drop out of the show, thus propelling McFester to super-stardom..BUT AT WHAT PRICE!!!????

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 12:09pm

On another subject, what happened to Julia's original conception for the show's opening where it's "Let Me Be Your Star" but the girls surrounding Norma Jean are taunting her? I liked that and it made sense, not the current conception where they just stand around her and stay silent.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/8/12 at 12:21pm

Sueleen Gay, obviously you've never watched a soap opera:

Ivy is preggers but which British guy does it belong to?

Season 2 - Ivy has an international custody battle as her baby's British daddy abducts the baby and heads across the sea. Will Ivy ever see her baby again?

(Talk about art imatating life, we got Tonya Pinkins story there with her losing custody).

Updated On: 5/8/12 at 12:21 PM