Posted By groucho on 06 May 2012 04:01 PM
The Twin Cities rips into Smash, and if you're going to do that where I can see it, at least get the characters' names right. A pop star should record the piano song so it can be heard by the world at large? Was that a joke? I can't tell anymore. And NBC should be trying to figure out how to rescind the promise of a second season? And no love for Katharine here--Katharine, who is playing her character as she is written, so sorry she doesn't have more chances to go batcrap in one way or another, but please see the writers about that.

http://www.startribune.com/entertai...00425.html

Of course I'm a Kat phan - that's obvious, but I don't necessarily love everything around her just because I love her. Let's face it, SN3D was not great. But I love Smash. I rewatch episodes in their entirety and not just the week they air. I don't just watch Kat's scenes or the songs. Maybe some things are not the most well-written or are too obvious or too far-fetched, but overall it's great. I don't understand this guy saying it's not as good as the pilot. It seems pretty consistent with the pilot to me.

Posted By groucho on 06 May 2012 04:18 PM
On cover songs: okay, here's my resopnse. After Judy Garland, Eva Cassidy (sp?), jane monheit and then katharine had a major go at Over The Rainbow, I think it should be declared off limits forever and ever, world without end, amen, from now on. Especially Idol contestants.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/blogs/gi...f6878.html

I disagree with the author that some songs are untouchable. Overdone, perhaps, as you point out OTR has been done a lot and done well a lot. But you really can't compare a cover to the original, ever. It needs to stand on its own merits. Maybe it wasn't a good range for the singer or whatever, but I insist it can't be compared to the original. However, my coworker and I agree that Kat's version of SIO was better than the Glee one. It was some of Glee's best singers, but it was not their best performance. And back to that author, to complain about the handshaking at the Bar Mitvah is just unnecessary.

Groucho, I agree that it seems like some of the critics act like they've been personally betrayed. Jace Lacob aka "televisionary" on Twitter is a critic who I think writes for the Daily Beast. He's been hating on the show for awhile. After writing a piece where he recounts where Smash went wrong, he actually bragged on Twitter about the comments he was getting (there weren't really that many and quite a few were positive about the show) and that a lot of people felt betrayed by the show. And yes, some reviews, from professional critics and bloggers alike, are downright nasty, especially towards Kat. It's weird. It's like they take their dislike of something like Ellis and let that overwhelm how they feel about the show. They can't just seem to enjoy the show as a whole, they have to pick it apart like vultures. The last few episodes seem to be bringing at least some of the critics back, so we'll see what the reviews are like for the last two episodes.

Ok, so here's my take on the cliffy.

First of all Ellie get's caught as the one who poisoned, well sort of, the smoothie. He in typical Ellis style will throw Karen under the bus as the one being behind it hoping that Ivy gets the part and brings him back. But Ivy feeling guilty finally about screwing Dev and seeing how genuinely Karen feels about Dev will fess up that Karen didn't have anything to do with it.

So back and forth they go with the decision they go and ultimately as the curtain goes up we see the new Marylin from the back and then........

They fade to black for the summer. My feeling is we will not know the answer till this fall when season 2 starts.

Sucks yes I know but if I was writing and directing it, no way do I let the viewers know at the end of next weeks episode.

As far as this season goes I'd have to give it a B to a B-. There was some really great stuff in the Pilot but much of the wiriting and direction hasn't lived up to the promise of the pilot.

My big issues are:

1. Too much soap opera and not enough show drama. The affair story was a disaster and completely unnecessary. Also I wold ship the son off to college so fast this next season and forget about that drama as well.

2. They made Karen into too much of a Mary Sue that there has been backlash against her. She needed more depth to her character. To me Ivy had a much better storyline than Karen did. Karen was too perfect, too innocent and the Iowa trip was the real low point of the season.

3. Get rid of Ellis. It seems like they finally are. He is a despicable character and really has not added anything good even when playing the villain.

Things I'd like to see next season.

Karen gets the role and a much beefier more dramatic story. Send Dev packing for the first 6 to 8 episodes. Show the lonely life being the star can be. Let her stretch the character and stand up for herself when she finds out what happens. I want Karen to get really pissed off and hurt.

I've been having this discussion with another part of my online life in terms of writing. One of the Vonnegut rules of writing is "Put your characters through hell so we can see what they are made of" That's what I want to see with Karen next season. Give her the part but make sure she has to work really hard to make it work, especially do it by herself without Dev to be her anchor at first. Make him earn his way back to her. Don't have Karen forgive him easily. Have him deal with the consequences of his betrayal.

Give Ivy another lead role in a different show. Make Karen and Ivy compete but do it seperately as to who is the new toast of Broadway.

Dump Michael Scott for good. Maybe get a new male lead who pursues Karen as a PLI.

Well I think over the summer we will be discussing more of all of this plus I really do believe we will not know who got the part next week.

You guys sure do a good job of summarizing the show and the characters. Sometimes you go a " little too deep " for me but I do enjoy reading your thoughts. I thought last nite moved along very quickly and did like the episode very much. I am looking forward to the FINAL. I would agree with UPLINK on a B minus for the season. Not as good as we hoped but we probably have been a little to critical.  This show has certainly enhanced Katharine's career and put her back on the radar. I am really optimistic it will help her music and her next album. In conclusion I must add how mult-talented Katharine is in her singing. Are there any other artists today who could " pull off " what Katharine has done in the last few weeks. She has went from " never give up the heart " to " run " to " our day will come " to " stand " and I must add her rendition of " new york, new york " at the museum.  These songs are so different in style and substance yet she " knocked them all out of the park ". She is one MAGICAL entertainer !

I always seem to get my google alerts later than most people, no idea why, so if you get ahold of something first, post it! I hadn't seen this one yet from mj. At first I thought her guy was going all vulture.com on us, but at least he will admit to being a fan of Katharine vocally.

I'm not sure how you can fault Katharine for the writers' writing karen to be a wimp, or an abnormally controlled, or emotionally stunted character, or whatever they think she is. She has the lines, what's she going to do, rewrite them in mid-air? When they give her something good to do, she does it good. (I know, good's an adjective.) The spoiler video with Derek was great. She wasn't spitting and snarling exactly, but she did break through the misery enough to talk back to Derek a little.

What do people want her to do, turn into a raving, snarling brunette version of Ivy? She's not. Get over it. Maybe she has too much Iowa in her, but that's still part of her and always will be. I've heard people say they were happy to see ONE of the characters hang on to some form of morality amidst the backstabbing and nastiness. That's not to say Karen is the only one, but she at least tries to do the right thing. I think maybe the question is, how many times do you have to turn the other cheek before you get tired of having it get smacked and decide to break somebody's arm? Or threaten to.

I kind of wish she'd decide the only way she could ever forgive Dev was if she evened things up a little and seduced Derek. Unfortunately I'm afraid she might like it, and he's probably not what you'd call solid boyfriend material. But he might put a little spring back in her step, at any rate. Then she could forgive Dev at her leisure. Of course he might have more trouble dealing with her infidelity than she did with his, but that's tough. Like she said in the Bollywood dream, you're not the only one who gets to decide things (or words to that effect). Plus that way she could get back at Dev and Ivy all at once.

I also don't get the whole understudy thing. If Karen is it, why are they asking questions? other than to get the audience stirred up, of course. I get that everyone might be thinking Ivy might not be anymore reliable than Rebecca, who obviously has a temper and ego problems etc., but if your understudy doesn't even know the part, you've got another whole problem there, haven't you? Maybe they figure at this early stage, they could just cancel performances if they had a problem, which they actually did when Rebecca was in the hospital. Maybe the real importance of the understudy kicks in later, when the show is actually on Broadway. I dont' know, this all just occurred to me. Does that make sense? I mean is it possible that the writers actually do know what they're doing, and this is just an aspect of creating a show we hadn't thought about?

Definitely written by a non-McPhee fan. In the small area of fandom I wander around in, I have yet to see one male fan describe Katharine as being "awkward" in the Smash number. I could say more but it's been a long day.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sho...-pray.html

Oh hell...  WHATSAMATTA YOU JERKS?? NO LOVE FOR THE HOMETOWN GIRL AT ALL??

That Canada article is scheduled for release 5/14.  It got out early.