Smash

While I'm still miffed that NBC won't say exactly when Community is coming back to finish it's third season, (just give us a date already!) I'm excited about one new show that will make it's TV debut on Monday, Smash. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, it follows the creation of a new Broadway musical based on the life of one of Hollywood's iconic actresses.

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In the show Julia Houston (Debra Messing) and Tom Levitt (Christian Borle) on the suggestion of his personal assistant, decided to write a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. With director Derek Willis (Jack Davenport) and producer Eileen Rand (Angelica Houston) on board, they start the audition process on finding the right actress to embody Marilyn on the Great White Way. The two contenders for the role are Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), the actress that wants to break out of the chorus line and was the shoo in for the part (she's Julia and Tom's first choice for the role), until Karen Cartwright (Katherine McPhee) an transplant from Iowa who has yet to make it to the Broadway stage, gives a great audition and puts her in the running. 

Of course there are comparisons to Glee because it's a musical TV show. But that's where it stops.  Glee may be about the trials and tribulations of being a teenager in the midwest, it's small potatoes to developing a hit Broadway musicals. Much like movies and TV shows, it's not cheap to produce a show, new or revival. So you want to make sure that everything is perfect, from the book and lyrics to the choreography and casting. For every The Phantom of the Opera, which is currently the longest running show on Broadway, there's a Carrie. Yes the one based of the Stephen King book. It closed after only 5 performances in 1988. I've never been behind the scenes on how Broadway shows are developed (although that would be really cool to experience), so there's probably going to be more heightened dramatics in the show. But even with that, I enjoyed the first episode. It moved at a brisk pace, (in a way reflecting the life in New York City), the writing and acting was good and I enjoyed the musical numbers. The baseball number with Megan Hilty was my favorite and for me she's going to be the break-out star of the show. Also in art imitating life, she was just cast as Lorelei in this springs Encores! revival of the 1949 musical Gentleman Prefer Blondes, a role Monroe played in the 1953 movie adaptation. 

Right now you can watch the first episode on Hulu, YouTube and iTunes before it airs on Monday. I've already watched it twice and I'll probably watch it on Monday too. If you watched it, will you continue to watch future episodes?

Sunday Videos: Into The Woods

Vampires get back in your coffins and zombies start making the long shuffle towards the nearest exit because Hollywood has a new genre that they will squeeze every bit out of. Fairy tales. With two new fairy tale shows, Once Upon a Time and Grimm, premiering this week and two Snow White movies currently in production, they are the next go to genre to grace our screens. 

Although it's not the first time because I remember watching the Fractured Fairy Tales segments during The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Faerie Tale Theater, and of course the countless Disney animated films. 

I think one reason why fairy tales have always been popular is because we associate them with happy endings. Yes there's conflict, but the girl always gets her prince and live in a great big shiny castle. But what happens once the happily ever after is long gone? That's the topic at hand with Steven Sondheim's 1988 Broadway musical, Into the Woods. Where some of the most classic Grimm's fairy tales intertwine with each other with interesting twists. 

I remember first hearing about it in high school when it was our spring musical. It was originally supposed to be Grease, but the drama teacher didn't think it was appropriate for us to perform. That I found funny because Into the Woods has an affair, murder/death, and the cutting off one's heel in order to fit into a glass slipper. There was a Broadway  revival in 2002, but the original cast will always be my favorite. I highly recommend giving it a viewing. In fact it's currently streaming on Netflix and once you watch it, you'll start humming along to the songs.

New York, New York

I may have to wait another day, due to a flight cancellation which is always fun. (Yeah right) But I can't wait to go to NYC. My mom and I are going to not only visit my sister and her boyfriend, but to also watch her graduate from Fordham University with her Masters in Teaching. Also Brian Williams is going to be the guest speaker at the commencement ceremony which is also awesome. Since it's my mom's first time visiting NYC we'll be doing the touristy stuff like going to the Empire State Building and heading over to Times Square. But there are a few more things I hope we can do while we're there....

Watch a Broadway Show

Tickets to Broadway shows are super expensive, usually starting at $80 a ticket. So I'm crossing my fingers that if I get to the box office super early, I can get one of those $30 rush tickets. The top three shows on my list are Anything Goes, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and The Book of Mormon.

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

I didn't make it over to Brooklyn the last time I visited NYC so a visit is in order this time around. The perfect place to visit would be the gardens.

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Metropolitan Museum of Art

Not only can I pretend for a second that I'm Blair or Serena on the steps of the MET, but I can also check out the exhibits in the museum situated in Central Park. The big museum attraction right now is Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, a retrospective on the work of the late fashion designer.

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Topshop

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Topshop wasn't open when I visited 2 1/2 years ago, so it'll be interesting to go in and see what all the fuss about.

What other places in NYC do you recommend?

Sunday Videos: The Happiest Musical Ever Made

 Astaire! Garland! Miller! 

They sure don't make musicals like this anymore.

It Takes Two

30x30 Items:

3) Old Navy Top

11) Target Chambray Skirt

27) Elle for Kohl's Tan Lace-up Boots

The Icing:

Old Navy Tan Studded Belt

Forever 21 Bracelet and Necklace

Target Brown Socks

I'm now in my flannel pj's and thermal, so comfy, but earlier today I wore this to run some errands with my mom. I was going to wear a different outfit, but I realized I was lacking a short enough slip to wear under my cream lace skirt. Yeah it's lined but that lined. Do undergarments count towards the shopping band? 

So some disappointing news. I might have to sell my ticket to Coachella. :( One of my friends that was going to go with me didn't get her ticket before it sold out. I don't know any of my other friends that are going and I really don't want to go to Coachella by myself. I think it's an experience that should be shared with friends. Sigh. But... I did find out that Comic-con tickets will finally go on sale this Friday! It took them long enough to get their stuff together, but now my brother and I can get our tickets. At least this time around I know what to expect plus I would like to dress up in costume for at least two of the four days.

As a little added fun, during the 30x30 I'll post the video that goes along with the song title I used in the post. Today it comes from one of my favorite musicals Into The Woods. 

So Put On A Happy Face

I feel like the beginning of this week has been a total crap-shoot. I started off the week getting a ticket and then I almost broke my iPod Touch. I thought things would turn around yesterday and they kinda did, but it quickly went downhill again. So this morning I felt tired, puffy eyed, and miserable.

Then I started thinking about the old movie musicals and what would happen if someone was feeling down in the dumps? Why sing a happy musical number of course.

So I scoured YouTube for some of my favorites.

So this is more recent, but this has to be my favorite musical number from Glee last season:

 

I just hope this week gets better.

In a Little While...

I remember watching this when it first aired a few years ago and it has me thinking, Zooey should totally guest star on Glee.

Zooey Deschanel and Matt Morrison in the 2005 version of Once Upon a Mattress:

What a Crazy Random Happenstance...

I'm slowing feeling better, realizing that things like this happen and all you can do is learn from it and move on.

One of the things I did like about him was that he introduced me to new shows.One of them is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Although I have heard of it last year, I actually didn't watch it until a few months ago.

Created by Joss Whedon during the writers strike, it stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. The premise of the web series, is that Dr. Horrible (Harris) is an aspiring supervillian. However, he's in love with do-gooder Penny (Day), who happens to like his arch-nemisis, Captain Hammer (Fillion).

It's such a funny and catching musical, one that I can watch over and over again. Plus it won an Emmy for Oustanding Special Class—Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program at the Creative Arts Emmy's yesterday. If you haven't watched this yet, you should.