NBC Announces Smash Premiere
Along with the premiere of date of The Voice, NBC also announced the premiere of “Smash” which includes American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee. “Smash” will premiere (10-11 p.m. ET) on Monday, February 6.
“Smash” is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire — to be a “Smash.”
The series centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe — written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Tony Award nominee Christian Borle, “Legally Blonde: The Musical”) and Julia (Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, “Will & Grace”). Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband (Brian d’Arcy James) of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit.
A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty (Katharine McPhee, “American Idol”) — who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds — and stage veteran (Megan Hilty, “Wicked,” “9 to 5: The Musical”), who’s determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer, Eileen (Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, “Prizzi’s Honor”), discovers the “Marilyn” project and jumps on board with a brilliant director (Jack Davenport, “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) — whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality. The series stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg (“ER,” “Schindler’s List”).
An Extended Smash Preview
Here is an extended preview of NBC’s new show Smash with Katharine McPhee. Enjoy!!
Katharine McPhee & Smash
Katharine McPhee will be coming to your TV sets each week on a new show called “Smash”. The show will air on NBC on Monday’s from 10-11pm, after “The Voice.”
There’s nothing more exciting than the opening night of a hit Broadway musical, except maybe what happens getting there. While Wicked and The Lion King pack audiences in on the Great White Way, Julia and Tom, a successful songwriting team played by Debra Messing and Christian Borle, begin work on a new musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. When a tenacious producer (Anjelica Houston) jumps aboard, so begins the difficult task of casting the silver screen icon.
Ivy Lynn, a tough Broadway veteran, seems like the obvious choice. But enter Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee), a young girl from Iowa with a dream of making it on Broadway who walks in and blows everyone away. So who will get the part and begin a journey that will change their lives? It’s an age-old story, but a star just might be born once again.
While everyone is consumed with putting the show together, real life has a tendency of getting in the way. Julia and her husband are in the middle of a complicated adoption; the producer’s husband begins divorce proceedings which could threaten the finances of the show; and the brilliant but womanizing director could derail everything if he puts the young star in a compromising position. This will be a rollercoaster ride that culminates on opening night when the audience gets to determine whether or not the show is a smash!
In the era of The Voice and Glee, executive producers Steven Spielberg and Craig Zadan & Neil Meron (producers of Chicago and Hairspray), and songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray), bring you the blood, sweat, and tears of the making of a Broadway musical.
Katharine McPhee Joins Smash
Rickey from rickey.org posted some great Katharine McPhee news today but honestly all I cared about was the picture he used in his post and had to post it along with the news. Sorry to hijack your photo Rickey but damn I just had to.
(Via Deadline) American Idol alumna-turned-actress Katharine McPhee has landed a co-starring role in the NBC hourlong pilot Smash, which will feature the Idol Season 5 runner-up sing. The pilot, from DreamWorks TV and UMS, is based on an idea by Steven Spielberg and follows a cross section of characters who come together to put on a Marilyn Monroe musical on Broadway led by the musical’s composer Tom and lyricist Julia (Debra Messing). McPhee will play a beautiful struggling actress who goes to all lengths (including sexual favors for the producer) to book the role of Marilyn Monroe in the musical.
