Marc Shaiman News

On the Monday, March 5th episode of NBC's SMASH entitled 'Let's Be Bad', the pressure begins to build. Check out the preview of the upcoming episode below!

Grace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep, will soon guest star on an episode of NBC's SMASH as Eileen's (Anjelica Huston) daughter. Zap2it just released photos of the actress in action, and you can check out additional shots here.

According to published reports, NBC's SMASH, which aired its fourth episode last night, got a slight ratings boost with almost 6.9 million viewers. Last week's audience was 4% smaller at 6.5 million viewers. The series premiere earned the show a whopping 11.5 million tuning in on February 6.

On next week's episode of SMASH, titled 'Let's Be Bad,' Karen discovers a new acting opportunity while attending a government party with Dev. Things get more complicated between Michael and Julia and Eileen teams up with Ellis. Check out a preview below!

Last night on NBC's SMASH entitled 'The Cost of Art', Karen needed to start learning how to get ahead in the world of Broadway, and Eileen tested a new fundraising strategy. Tom went on a date and, Derek threw a party for a hot young celebrity, played by Nick Jonas. Miss the Episode? Catch up below!

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

Megan Hilty, currently staring in the NBC series SMASH, sat down with MyFOX NY to talk about Smash.

Billy Crystal was nine for nine with his stupendous hosting - particularly thanks to his superlative musical material courtesy of Tony-winning tunesmith Marc Shaiman - yet, the 2012 Oscars were all about the awards, for once, with a heavy helping of superstars and surprises. A glamorous and generally genial broadcast, more than many in recent years this years, last night's top entertainment honors came across as a class act on the elegantly produced and impressively rendered broadcast, from beginning to end - unscripted screenwriters' Angelina impressions aside. Crytal's hilarious opening montage allowed the Oscar host extraordinaire the opportunity to enact his oh-so-idiosyncratic take on the year's top nominated films - including a kiss with George Clooney ala THE DESCENDANTS and a Justin Bieber/Sammy Davis, Jr. skit inspired by Woody Allen's MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, both of which went on to win the Best Screenplay categories - and remind us why he is tops. The portrait of the winner of Best Picture may have been painted long before last night for THE ARTIST, yet the 2012 Academy Awards show was packed with a plethora of surprises in technical and even some major categories, with Martin Scorsese's HUGO also scoring big and Meryl Streep winning her third statuette, this time for her Best Actress turn in THE IRON LADY, uncanny in her portrayal of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Additionally, THE ARTIST's Jean Judarjin took home Best Actor - over Hollywood titan George Clooney, no less - for his superb performance as a Gene Kelly-esque silent film star (save a few words at the very meta finale). The supporting categories showed some love to expected winners Octavia Spencer - for the audience hit, THE HELP - as well as veteran actor Christopher Plummer - for the indie release, BEGINNERS. Cirque Du Soleil afforded us some spectacle in the form of a 3D aerial classic film homage as only they could create and present, but Crystal's inimitable opening sequence - film sequence and crisply amusing song acting as the ideal entree into the awards season's show of shows - were the night's undeniable highlights. So, too, on the performance front did the In Memoriam sequence shine thanks to a soulful rendering of "What A Wonderful World" by Esperanza Spalding. Many of the major categories may have went the way we have all predicted, yet important categories also went to a surprisingly large smattering of the year's other fine filmatic achievements, as well, making it an entertaining and overall quite pleasing broadcast when considering the conservative slate of films nominated this season.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, February 26, 2012 - Sunday, February 26, 2012.

En esta noche de cine, la edición número 84 de los Premios de la Academia, 'The Artist' y 'Hugo' se han alzado con cinco Oscars cada uno, en una gala presentada por Billy Crystal en la que se ha vuelto a un estilo más clásico de ceremonia lleno de fantasía y entretenimiento que en anteriores ediciones.

Billy Crystal kicked off The Academy Awards with an opening number written by Tony award-winner Marc Shaiman and Billy Crystal. The song paid a tribute to the nominees for Best Picture. Watch the performance below!

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.

Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley was the special surprise guest at the Broadway Artists Alliance 2011 Winter Workshop. Ripley had a Q&A with the students of Broadway Artists Alliance. She surprised the students with a performance of her new single 'Beautiful Eyes,' and a song from Next to Normal.

A backstage look at one of Opera's most iconic personalities.

Earlier today, InTouch reported that Britney Spears wants a recurring role on NBC's SMASH. A friend of Britney's revealed that “She's met with producers, and they're looking for the appropriate role for her.'

From the moment the curtain for 'Hairspray" rises, you can tell you're in for a great time. Running through March 11th at CM PAC of Oakdale, you'll find this Tony-award winning show has a great story (by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan), great music (by Shaiman and Wittman), and a wonderfully talented cast directed by Patrick Grossman.

Broadway By The Bay, the Peninsula's premier musical theatre company, has finalized its casting for Hairspray, the first show of its 2012 season. This will be the second year of performances at the company's new home, the historic Fox Theatre in Redwood City and the 47th season in their history. The season will feature three full-scale productions and the return of the hit Broadway By The Year® series. Hairspray runs April 5 - 22 and tickets as well as season subscriptions are available now by calling 650-579-5565 or at www.broadwaybythebay.org.

According to published reports, NBC's SMASH, which aired its third episode last night, dropped in the ratings again- moving this week from 8.1 million to 6.5 million viewers. The series premiere earned the show a whopping 11.5 million views on February 6. Despite the ratings dip for the series, NBC still won the night with help from THE VOICE, with 15.7 million viewers.

On next week's episode of SMASH, titled 'The Cost of Art,' Karen needs to start learning how to get ahead in the world of Broadway, and Eileen tests a new fundraising strategy. Tom goes on a date and, Derek throws a party for a hot young celebrity, played by Nick Jonas. BroadwayWorld has gotten ahold of the full episode preview and brings it now to you below!