Jack Davenport News

Select songs from tonight's new episode of the NBC musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will be available today from NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records on the iTunes store at http://www.itunes.com/NBCSmash.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Broadway legand Benadette Peters will guest star on the March 19 episode of SMASH, and the show has just released an official description that reveals some details on her appearance. As described by KSiteTV: 'Everything comes to a head as Eileen (Anjelica Huston), Derek (Jack Davenport) and the team present "Marilyn The Musical" to would-be investors. Ivy (Megan Hilty) is under pressure to perform, while her mother, Broadway star Leigh Conroy (special guest Bernadette Peters), undermines her at every turn. Karen (Katharine McPhee) must decide between the workshop and a meeting with a big-time music producer. Julia (Debra Messing) and Michael (guest star Will Chase) must face up to the consequences of their actions.'

NBC has released two new video previews from the Monday, March 5th episode of the musical drama series SMASH. In the first clip, Karen (Katharine McPhee) discovers what she 'brings to the party' in a sensual performance of James Brown's 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World'. In the second clip, Ivy (Megan Hilty) exudes Marilyn in her performance of 'Let's Be Bad', as rehearsal transforms into a Broadway fantasy.

In this Monday's episode of the NBC musical drama SMASH, guest star Will Chase's character, Michael attempts to win back the affections of his former love Julia, played by Debra Messing and serenades her with his version of Leon Russell's 'A Song For You'.

NBC has just released a sneak peek clip of next week's SMASH episode entitled 'Let's Be Bad'. In the episode, Derek asks Karen to demonstrate to Ivy the 'correct' way to sing 'Happy Birthday'. While Karen does her best not to anger the 'Marilyn Monroe' star, Ivy still gives her a glance that suggests, 'if looks could kill!'

SMASH is out for blood - wolf's blood, that is. So, go howl! In the climax of the series so far - at least since that thrilling finale to the pilot episode - the wildly talented cast of characters that inhabit SMASH were joined in purpose and performance for the first time onscreen all together, singing "I Never Met A Wolf That Didn't Like To Howl" - well, at least the current top choices for Marilyn Monroe (Megan Hilty) and Joe DiMaggio (Will Chase) by the songwriting duo (portrayed by Debra Messing and Christian Borle) behind the show-within-the-show; guest appearance by prospective investor portrayed by pop idol and current Broadway star Nick Jonas notwithstanding. Yet, Katharine McPhee shone bright in her secondary storyline, bringing defiant joie de vivre to a karaoke cover of Adele's soulful earworm "Rumor Has It" at the close of the show. Nick Jonas got a moment in the musical spotlight, as well, in a self-played piano accompanied cover of Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet". On the dramatic side of SMASH, the twists and turns of the theatre-centric musical series are beginning to create intriguing complexities for the individuals caught in the tumult - none the least being the budding romances between Derek (Jack Davenport) and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), but also the secret liaison rekindled of one half of the songwriting duo (Messing) and Joltin' Joe (Chase) himself. Plus, the other half of the team behind the Marilyn musical, Tom (Christian Borle), finally got his own romantic plotline and sudsy, soap-ish moment. It seems to be a prerequisite that each cast member have a post-coital scene at some point, so, one supposes Eileen (Anjelica Huston) and her ex husband, Jerry (Michael Cristofer), may re-team behind the scenes - or, maybe not. Eileen was given finest material of the night as far as I'm concerned and Huston's delicate portrayal of a woman conflicted was artful in its attentiveness and believability. She imbues the material with a grace and gravitas that few stars can consistently achieve as she has done throughout her career and continues to do so here on SMASH. Episode Four cleanly and clearly displayed the attributes we came to love about the pilot - natural integration of fabulous Marilyn-themed musical numbers into the drama, as in "Howl"; superlative new renditions of modern-day pop hits, such as "Rumor Has It"; and a specialty song or two, too, like Nick Jonas and his Michael Buble party accompaniment. While it did not break new ground as far as where the show is heading as a series like last week's show, this episode gave us an inkling of the entertainment experience coming in the next few weeks as we anticipate the arrival of many new and exciting guest stars, such as Bernadette Peters and Uma Thurman, in addition to the pain, passion, ecstasy and As for the rest of the drama, music and comedy, read on!

Select songs from tonight's new episode of the critically acclaimed NBC musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will be available today from NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records on the iTunes store

Broadway stars Nick Jonas and Wesley Taylor will be featured on the February 27th episode of NBC's SMASH. The episode is entitled 'The Cost of the Art' and will air at 10:00 pm/ET on the NBC network.

"Baby, I would catch a grenade for you," as Bruno Mars wrote in his international smash hit song "Grenade", recently nominated for a Grammy, and, so, too, would Joe DiMaggio catch a grenade for Marilyn Monroe, and, maybe - just maybe - married Broadway star Michael Swift (Will Chase) will cross the line into the danger zone and rekindle his romance with former flame (similarly, married with children) Julia (Debra Messing), half of the songwriting team responsible for the spectacular musical-within-the-show on NBC's SMASH. Yes, the third episode of the new musical drama series was a much different experience from the first two shows, with Karen (Katharine McPhee)'s journey back home to Iowa - complete with down-home karaoke baby shower and Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" - and the introduction of Broadway star Will Chase's character and the subsequent exploration of his prior trysts with Julia, as well as detailing more of Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Derek (Jack Davenport)'s hot and heavy romance. So, too, did the dissolving marriage between the Marilyn musical's lead producer, Eileen (Anjelica Huston) and her ex (Michael Cristofer) see further shading, as did the trusting and caring coupling of Karen and Dev (Raza Jaffrey). Along with recurring guest stars Dylan Baker and Becky Ann Baker as Karen's supportive but speculative parents, "Enter Mr. DiMaggio" was a relationship-themed episode that reached its thematic, dramatic and musical apotheosis in the stunning new Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman Marilyn musical composition, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", ending the episode on a stylish and all-too-apropos note. A hard rock rendering of the aforementioned Bruno Mars pop hit "Grenade", as well as Karen's spirited country karaoke "Redneck Woman" were the other musical entertainments in an episode that showed that SMASH does, indeed, have legs - a Rockette-worthy line of them, actually - and this story can sustain more than a handful of episodes or, even, a season or two. Sure, this episode had a different feel than the first two, more Broadway-based shows, yet the series seems to be finding a rhythm that is particularly appreciable at this very, very early stage of the game. After all, the first two episodes of an hour-long adult drama such as SMASH usually set the scene for the series as a whole, if they even succeed at accomplishing that. So far, SMASH has already gone far beyond that, and, I promise, next week will be more along the lines of the first two entries, showcasing the simple fact that this tree has many, many branches and exceptionally deep roots supporting the strong core of central and supporting performers that make up its trunk. Episode Three was a gamble that largely paid off dramatically and thematically, and, wow, that final number was a home run hit truly worthy of a show billing itself as SMASH.

NBC has announced that select songs from tonight's third episode of NBC's new critically acclaimed musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will be available today from NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records on the iTunes store.

NBC has just released a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the SMASH upcoming episode 'Enter Mr. DiMaggio' which includes the original song 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'. The video features Megan Hilty, who portrays an actress recently cast in the role of Marilyn Monroe in a fictional Broadway production, as well as Will Chase, whose character plays the role of Joe Dimaggio in the show.

On the upcoming fourth episode of the new NBC musical drama series SMASH, Katharine McPhee will perform Adele's Grammy-winning song 'Rumor Has It'. McPhee's character 'Karen' and her cast members from the fictional production of 'Marilyn' will take to the stage to perform the popular hit song.

On last night's episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'The Callback', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jumped through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursued the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia (Debra Messing) and her husband Frank (Brian d'Arcy James), were frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen (Anjelica Huston) fought to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.

Last night, SMASH cast Marilyn Monroe in the big Broadway musical based on her life at the show's center. Or, did they? While Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) may have done whatever it took to make an impression on the show's lothario director, Derek (Jack Davenport), it was Ivy's long-standing friendship with the songwriting team of Julia & Tom (Debra Messing & Christian Borle) and the belief in her readily apparent talent by the lead producer, Eileen (Anjelica Huston), that really sealed the deal. So, where does that leave Karen (Katharine McPhee)? In the chorus, it seems - at least for now. The drama escalated and reached an early peak along with the crescendos of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's smashing "Twentieth Century Fox Mambo" showstopper - the musical highlight of the impossibly strong second episode - as the heated fully-staged and fully-choreographed audition gave way to a dream reality which finally showed us all out there in the audience what a Karen/Marilyn could potentially be: a true blonde bombshell to beat the band. Of course, nothing is quite so cut and dry as it may appear and Karen may get her chance in the spotlight on the actual Marilyn musical's stage after all. Yet, for the next few episodes at least, Ivy is the star of the show - and she is going to wring every last wiggle, coo and peck out of the role. Plus, who can put over a number in true Broadway fashion - as Marilyn Monroe, perfectly played, no less - than Megan Hilty? Did you hear her line in the newly envisioned 'Let Me Be Your Star'? In much the same way as Hilty with the Broadway pizazz, McPhee effortlessly puts over treacherously tricky pop songs with smoothness, sweetness and near-tangible sincerety and conviction. Which way will the score ultimately go - and, furthermore, what shall be of the show that contains it? Will the musical be more Norma Jean or more Marilyn, thus more befitting of Karen or Ivy, respectively? Who knows, perhaps there ultimately will be two Marilyns required - as was proposed in this very column last week at this time and seems the logical ultimate conclusion of the casting dilemma at the show's core. We will certainly have to wait and find out what happens next on SMASH and what the show ends up requiring of its incredibly talented cast of hoofers and stars-to-be. Plus, Nick Jonas, Uma Thurman and Bernadette Peters make guest star debuts in the next several weeks!

With tonight's second episode broadcast of NBC's new critically acclaimed musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records are making select songs available today on the iTunes store.

On the February 13th episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia (Debra Messing) and her husband Frank (Brian d'Arcy James), are frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen (Anjelica Huston) fights to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. Christian Borle, Raza Jaffrey, and Jaime Cepero also star. The episode airs Monday, February 13th at 10:00 pm/ET. I the video below, SMASH star Katharine McPhee chats about the new series with Jimmy Fallon on 'The Late Show.' Click below to check it out!

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On the February 13th episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia (Debra Messing) and her husband Frank (Brian d'Arcy James), are frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen (Anjelica Huston) fights to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. Christian Borle, Raza Jaffrey, and Jaime Cepero also star. The episode airs Monday, February 13th at 10:00 pm/ET.

On the February 13th episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime.

On the next episode of NBC's SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Check out a just released photo of the duo below!