uplink2
Katharine Addict
Posts:2675
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| 16 Jan 2012 09:48 PM |
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With the release of Smash on iTunes, VOD and elsewhere it was suggested by Groucho that we start a new official Smash discussion thread. So here it is.
I watched the pilot tonight and my god, it was even better than I hoped. Kat's performance is incredible, actually all of the actors were great. The songs are first rate and with all of the promotion NBC is giving it if they can keep up the quality level, there really is a smash here! |
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| Dinah, Kat Pack member #2, if you see this we miss you! |
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nanhasmcpheever
Katharine Fanatic
Posts:370
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| 16 Jan 2012 10:43 PM |
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I completely agree uplink - it's as if everything I (we) have ever hoped for Kat to do, become is wrapped up in this show. It was amazing and I was completely grabbed by it and cannot wait for the next episode. You are right ALL of the actors are great, but seeing Kat in this role with this music - it's everything we, as fans, could ever hope for. I don't know what more to say except WOW!! |
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uplink2
Katharine Addict
Posts:2675
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| 16 Jan 2012 10:48 PM |
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Yea, I thought it was the best thing I've seen from Debra Messing since Will and Grace. The assistant is great, Angelica Houston etc. What's great for Kat is she seems to fit well with all of them. I am really excited to see where it goes from here. |
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| Dinah, Kat Pack member #2, if you see this we miss you! |
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dbroom
Katharine Fanatic
Posts:377
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| 17 Jan 2012 03:38 AM |
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Hey Gang,
So good to see some of you, it has been such a long time since the early Kat days and working hard to get her first single radio play. Been following her career closely ever since and like you guys so excited to see her get the opportunity to do this. Such a great fit for ALL of her talents. Day one when we all saw her audition at Idol and fall in love with her we knew she would be special and to see it start to finally come to fruition is such a great feeling. And the girl can act! We knew she could sing and dance but so fun to see her get a chance to really act. Her scene in the bathroom was quite good, not an easy scene to play. Agree with all the comments regarding the quality of the production and the acting. This really does have the potential to be quite successful. So proud of Kat and will be waiting with bated breath each weak for a new episode. From the post pilot preview certainly looks like she has some great dance numbers and songs. Get your seatbelts on as this is going to be fun!
- Doug |
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keefir1
Katharine Addict
Posts:1693
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| 17 Jan 2012 07:51 AM |
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I watched the pilot On Demand last night and was very impressed with the quality of the production!The musical numbers are broadway caliber.
Kat's performance is stellar and McPheever is hitting again in full force..love her and the fact that she is really the protagonist star of this classy program! Can't wait for the dance numbers!
NBC is going all out for promotion......actually flashing Kat's red dress poster pic during their regular programs.... |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 17 Jan 2012 10:46 AM |
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Since the pilot is definitely part of the show, I'm moving my comments on the pilot up here, just to keep everything together.
Just watched it twice on Comcast and it felt about 10 minutes long. incredible. I suppose that's because I've seen so many disembodied pieces flashing by at lightspeed in various promo clips. I have no idea how the general populace is going to react to it because I'm so invested in it so it's useless for me to even speculate.
I was happy to see that the Karen and Ivy characters were not presented as totally one-sided. We may think of Ivy as being the black-swan sexy Marilyn and Karen being white-swan innocent Norma Jean, but Karen got in at least one good swipe at Derek that showed she had some claws, although she probably doesn't unleash them very often, and seeing Ivy being so nervous she literally heaved her guts out, and then being almost totally shut out by her tone-deaf mother, couldn't help but engender some sympathy for her. But I thought the highlight of the whole thing was Karen's transformation in Derek's apartment from shocked to angry to scared to--Marilyn! Imagine how that scene will look to anyone who hasn't seen it 35 times before like we have. Wow. And there were a few little throw-aways in there that I thought were really funny, like Derek asking her casually "How was it?" meaning how did your little rehearsal with your little boyfriend go, and we're realizing that Karen just had sex with Dev, which gives the innocent question an overtone of double entendre. And her reaction bears it out because he has to explain his question. And the ending duel/duet is just exquisite. Again, imagine how it's going to look to someone for the first time.
The sizzle reel gave me the impression that within a few weeks, there won't be anyone on the planet who will be able to imagine anyone other than Katharine playing Karen. I have the feeling Steven Spielberg felt that way already, maybe for longer than we know. Now all we have to figure out is, will she be playing Marilyn?
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 17 Jan 2012 11:01 AM |
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I've read some comments from people who thought it started too slow, but I never felt that. As I said, so much of it was familiar to me that I'm not sure how to judge it, but none of it seemed to drag to me, in fact just the opposite. I thought REbeck did a good job of keeping things moving while explaining who was who, and who they were to each other. Exposition is a fine art and definitely separates the men from the boys, or the prosists from the playwrights, artistically speaking.
After 3 viewings, little random things start occurring to me, like the fact that Karen talks fast and sometimes I can't listen fast enough. Of course after I've seen it half a dozen times I'm sure I'll have everything all strraightened out. (Typos courtesy of Two Ton Thomas who is parked on my lap and nudging my hand every other word or so.) And there was one brief moment when Tom and Julia sat down on the couch and crossed their legs almost in unison that struck me funny because (1) it reminded me of that silly skit on I Love Lucy with The Mambo Kings, or whatever their name was, and (2) it could almost have been shorthand for "we've been together forever and we work well together to the point where we even move as one." Or maybe I'm just nuts and over-analyzing, but hey, it's fun so why not.
And I keep expecting Anjelica Huston to flourish her wand, solemnly pronounce Avada Kedavra! and send her obnoxious husband to hell. Leftover Morticia vibes, I'm sure, and I know that's the wrong fantasy series, but still... |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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keefir1
Katharine Addict
Posts:1693
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| 17 Jan 2012 01:01 PM |
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Since you mentioned Angelica,Groucho,I simply couldn't resist a comment.
Even in her youth,AH was always kinda fierce-looking,but now....with the help of some facial work,be it plastic /botox or both.....she gives a downright sinister and scary appearance!!That face is way beyond Morticia! |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 17 Jan 2012 07:03 PM |
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And with that severe hairstyle she affects, wow... I wouldn't want to cross her. |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 17 Jan 2012 11:04 PM |
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Some semi=-praise for Katharine amidst general love for the show.
http://www.zimbio.com/Katharine+McP...t+Row+Seat
Interesting take on the show. Poor Dev, left out of the discussion and a commenter can't get his name right. But then today I saw two references to "Katharine McPhee, star of Crash" and "Katharine McPhee, star of Shame." No, no, it's SMASH, dammit! They won't be doing that next year.
http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/201...?mobile=nc
A good review of Episode Two, already. Can we stop holding our breath now? It's definitely on for a full season? Then if we have to, we can all get together and do a Smash version of the old Save-Star-Trek campaign.
http://www.tvline.com/2012/01/ask-a...ssip-girl/
If this is any indication, there's a big ready-made audience out there just waiting and hoping for Smash to be a smash. This time I hope the stereotype is correct. And I agree with him that the pilot tried to make both leading lady contenders sympathetic and set up a genuine competition.
http://www.homorazzi.com/article/sm...-download/
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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LuckieStar
Katharine Friend
Posts:60
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LuckieStar
Katharine Friend
Posts:60
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| 18 Jan 2012 10:23 AM |
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Did you see Katharine talking to Michelle Williams at the Golden Globes. I wonder what they were talking about.
Could it be........ MARILYN ?
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 18 Jan 2012 05:00 PM |
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About the "no pressure" thing, I think they're starting to broaden out the publicity a little bit. Hilty is getting more attention (they're now using 'introducing KM AND Megan Hilty' in some of the promo material) and believe it or not, hard as it is for us katfans to realize, a lot of the other cast members have fan bases too. It was probably just because Katharine had already been exposed to a huge number of people via television and because Idol is still such a cultural phenomenon, even if it has been around forever, that they decided to punch her up big at first. The various cast members will probably show up all over tv...well, pretty soon now. I don't know how they'll publicize it, or where or for how long, not being much of an expert on this stuff. |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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keefir1
Katharine Addict
Posts:1693
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| 18 Jan 2012 05:21 PM |
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Posted By LuckieStar on 18 Jan 2012 10:23 AM
Did you see Katharine talking to Michelle Williams at the Golden Globes. I wonder what they were talking about.
Could it be........ MARILYN ?
Yes.....I did see Kat kneeling next to Michelle.
It has to be fascinating to meet another actor who is or has portrayed the same character on film......especially when that character was actually a live person who was also in the "biz" with worldwide recognition! 
Maybe Kat had seen Michelle's film......... |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 18 Jan 2012 11:03 PM |
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I can't wait to see My Week With Marilyn now. The whole Marilyn thing is just more interesting to me now that it's become part of Katworld, I guess, on top of my pre-existing condition called Showbiz Mania which I was born with. (My dad was a professional musician but I only inherited a genetic predisposition, not actual talent.) In fact lately I've been compulsively watching all the old Marilyn movies as they drift across cable. My favorite is The Misfits, because she played more of a real person and not so much of a caricature, although I still find the horse chasing scenes hard to watch. Katharine could play Roslyn without even thinking. |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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rilster
Katharine Fanatic
Posts:355
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| 19 Jan 2012 02:32 PM |
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Entertainment Weekly has an 8 page spread on Smash in its current edition. It states in the article and I quote " she was handpicked for the part " by Spielberg " who has been a fan since idol ". The majority of pictures in the spread show Katharine and bascially implies they are counting on her to make it a " SMASH ". I have to ask the question why did two major players in the entertainment industry see the talent and potential of Katharine ( David Foster - Music , Stephen Spielberg - Movies and TV ) and yet she has been neglected and criticized in so many quarters ? Could it be it takes " mature " males like Foster and Spielberg and Yes - Groucho and Rilster to recognize and appreciate real talent. JUST A THOUGHT ! |
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rilster
Katharine Fanatic
Posts:355
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| 19 Jan 2012 02:39 PM |
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I must add I cannot comment on the Pilot as it is still not available in CANADA. I tunes Canada has the 6 minute trailer UP for downloading but so far NO PILOT. |
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trsf
Katharine Addict
Posts:1102
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| 19 Jan 2012 04:26 PM |
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I'm sort of in the same boat, rilster, as I'm currently without cable at the moment, plus I don't have iTunes. (Not that I'd have the time to watch the pilot, anyway.) I'm happy to wait until it debuts on broadcast TV, but I wish the NFL would just hurry up and play the damned overhyped Super Bowl already so we can see the show. |
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nanhasmcpheever
Katharine Fanatic
Posts:370
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| 19 Jan 2012 09:23 PM |
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VOTE FOR TEAM KAREN... on facebook. Right now she's way ahead ....
https://apps.facebook.com/fanappz/poll/vote?id=32851&source=fa_publisher
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bunga
Katharine Acquaintance
Posts:6
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| 19 Jan 2012 11:24 PM |
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For those who have not had access by conventional broadcast, have you tried AMAZON.COM under INSTANT VIDEOS?
From my experience, the sign up was free and so is the "purchase" of the episode of Smash.
I apologize if this has been covered already. But just in case... |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 20 Jan 2012 05:40 PM |
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We're going to be inundated with this stuff... Interesting comments from all kinds of people associated with the show, plus lead picture is of Guess Who in blonde wig but with several smaller pix of Hilty. I'm so glad it didn't get the go at Showtime. This version is going to be far more accessible, and I can't see Katharine playing the Karen of the original pilot, which is a lot more risque' than the NBC version.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/a...1&_r=1
Jack Davenport checks in. I love all the double entendres. "I need to see everything you've got." Does that mean he needs to know if she's versatile enough to play both sexy and sweet sides of Marilyn or just "take off that damn shirt"? Peeling off layers indeed.
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a...-show.html
Another glowing review who "checked with his theater friends" to judge authenticity. We already know the theater fans (and participants) are going to like this. I just hope the rest of the world gets on board.
http://www.stylecaster.com/celebrit...hows-on-tv |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 20 Jan 2012 06:04 PM |
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At first I thought he was going to JUST be a Messing/Huston fan, but then K. got her own (glowing) paragraph. But I disagree, I think the end montage worked perfectly. So what if it was contrived? Good grief, sometimes you have to break the rules (songs will be SONGS that are part of musicals or sung naturally as part of life, such as Karen singing along with Ivy while watching her on "YouLenz" on her computer). The trick is to do it so perfectly that nobody gives a damn, which they did. It's like wondering how QT managed to make such hokey, over the top movies as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill and make them work. When he flops he flops, but when he hits the nail on the head, he just does. End of story, end of criticism.
http://www.buzzsugar.com/Smash-TV-S...w-21394838
Canada checks in again. Winnipeg likes it. Not much new here, I'm just sticking it for the north of the border POV.
http://www.metronews.ca/winnipeg/sc...r-tv-shows |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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Barlo
Katharine Addict
Posts:1873
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| 20 Jan 2012 06:21 PM |
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Haven't read all these yet, but even though I'd seen stills of Karen with ear buds so it was clear that she was REHEARSING as she was running through the streets singing LMBYS, when I saw the pilot, I couldn't see them and didn't know those big red things on Ivy were headphones either. And I knew better, so I can see how someone who's only seen this once might be confused with contrivance.
So I saw the pilot three times on opening day and am jonesing to see it again. I can't remember ever watching a tv show that often. Yeah, I watched the episodes of AIS5 more than twice, but not on the same day, and it was mainly for the performances, not the story line.
This is so crazy amazing!!! |
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=^.^= Kat Pack #1505 meets Kat at Six Flags NE
"Have fun. Why not." ~KM
Kat x 3 in NYC - 11/19/09 |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 21 Jan 2012 12:21 AM |
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http://www.smashtheseries.com/ Just found this and don't know a thing about it but it looked like it might be a good resource. I missed the earphones. Guess I need to watch the pilot again. |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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Katsfan1
Katharine Crazy
Posts:506
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| 21 Jan 2012 10:23 AM |
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If it hasn't been noted previously, I just wanted to mention that two songs from the Smash pilot are available for purchase on Itunes - Katharine's "Beautiful" and the duet "Let Me Be Your Star". I think they are both beautiful.
I guess I missed Megan Hilty's "The National Pastime", which is on Itunes also under Smash Cast, along with "Let Me Be Your Star". "Beautiful", although listed as being by Smash Cast, doesn't come up under that search, but I found it under Smash. This shouln't be so confusing! |
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rilster
Katharine Fanatic
Posts:355
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 24 Jan 2012 10:47 AM |
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If you remember, it was reported that NBC tested the pilot and then called her back for additional scenes, so she must have tested pretty well. Now I don't know for sure if that meant a focus group or just the network brass, but somebody had her come back and do additional filming for some reason. So we got more Kat/Karen scenes.
Below, "Marilyn the Musical" turns into a 3 way race when a new face shows up.
http://socialitelife.com/katharine-...os-01-2012
Not much new (below) but you can vote on your impression of Smash (or even watch the pilot if you haven't yet).
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Watch-N...42142.aspx
The British POV - they love Uma, hardly seem to know who Katharine is. Love that ferocious shot from the Kill Bills - and there's going to be a third one? Yay!! The baby grows up and inherits the Hattori Hanzo sword?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...Smash.html |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 24 Jan 2012 11:12 AM |
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This is called "spoiler chat" so be warned. Actually there isn't really much new in here, but from what we've seen already (Dev and Derek fighting, Uma Thurman and somebody or other throwing punches, etc.) it looks like things are going to heat up a bit once they get the characters all established.
http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_w...ire/288499
Here's the pertinent part:
Hannah in Arlington, Va.: Already obsessed with Smash now that I've downloaded the pilot from iTunes for free. Great cast, dialogue, etc. What's to come this season?
More of the above! Seriously, NBC made the mistake of sending us the first four episodes of Smash, because now we are crazy-obsessed with this show. Around episode three is when you'll see Ivy's (Megan Hilty) true colors. In the first two episodes, you're not so sure how you feel about her: she's not exactly the villain, but she's not really a good girl, either. By episode four, you'll most likely have a rock-solid opinion about her. Regardless of how Ivy acts, Hilty continues to kill it. So does Katharine McPhee. And Jack Davenport. And Anjelica Huston. And everyone else on that show. Like we said, obsessed.
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 24 Jan 2012 11:25 AM |
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A link to watch or download the pilot if you haven't already. http://idolbloglive.com/idolblog/wa...-right-now |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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groucho
Katharine Addict
Posts:8075
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| 24 Jan 2012 11:24 PM |
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Rodney Ho interview: http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/...ustration/ Thank heavens Showtime didn't pick it up or we'd have had it without Katharine, which I would have suspected after reading the script, even if she hadn't said it outright. Plus I'd have misesd it entirely because I don't get Showtime. INteresting that she insists it wasn't Spielberg asking for her per se, just her auditioning. But he had to okay the list of people auditioning, so how do we know he didn't make his own suggestions for who should be on it? Okay, idle speculation... |
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katpedia.com - watch and listen to Idol, pre-Idol, and post-Idol McPhee performances all in one convenient location
"And everything around her is a silver pool of light... She makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm" |
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