Marilyn Monroe News

The Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, will be the site of THE REEL AWARDS (21st Annual) on Monday, February 20, 2012. This annual spectacle, produced by International Celebrity Images, brings together the best celebrity impersonators from around the world. It's a surreal gathering of talent including red carpet arrivals to a show featuring music, dance, comedy, and an awards show like no other. This year's emcees are Joan Rivers clone, Dee Dee Hanson and Stephen Sorrentino, a musical comedian and master of improvisation with over 200 impressions.

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.

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!

The Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, will be the site of THE REEL AWARDS (21st Annual) on Monday, February 20, 2012. This annual spectacle, produced by International Celebrity Images, brings together the best celebrity impersonators from around the world. It's a surreal gathering of talent including red carpet arrivals to a show featuring music, dance, comedy, and an awards show like no other. This year's emcees are Joan Rivers clone, Dee Dee Hanson and Stephen Sorrentino, a musical comedian and master of improvisation with over 200 impressions.

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!

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!

Get a sneak peak of next week's episode of NBC's SMASH, along with a preview of what's to come this season!

Anchor Bay Entertainment announces that MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, the critically acclaimed film starring three-time Oscar® nominee Michelle Williams, will be coming out on Blu-ray™ and DVD March 13th, 2012.

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. In the clip below, Karen (Katharine McPhee) channels Mariyn in a special musical number- '20th Century Fox Mambo!'

NBCUniversal cable networks are joining forces to create a formidable 'cable roadblock' to promote NBC's new hit musical drama 'Smash' from 12 a.m.-1 a.m. (ET/PT) tonight.

NBC will encore THE VOICE'S Post-Super Bowl episode this Thursday, February 9th at 10:00/9:00c as well as the Monday, February 6th episode of THE VOICE and the premiere episode of SMASH this Saturday, February 11th.

42nd Street Moon, the company that presents intimate productions of "Uncommon Musicals" by great 20th Century composers, today announced casting forSUGAR, the first 2012 mainstage production of the season. The show will feature Michael Kern Cassidy, Tony Panighetti and Riley Krull in the starring roles, under the direction of Dyan McBride.SUGAR opens at the Eureka Theater on April 7, with three low-priced previews April 4 - 6, and runs through April 22.

On Twitter Watch, Brian d'Arcy James wrote 'Are there plans for you to sing in an upcoming ep?" there are plans...

CBS News will revive its iconic franchise, PERSON TO PERSON, it was announced today by CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager and David Rhodes, President, CBS News.

The COLUMN AWARDS Board of Directors and the Executive Director/Producer announced today that Tony Award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Chita Rivera will be the Co-host for the 13th Annual COLUMN AWARDS Gala.

Last night was the premiere of the highly-anticipated musical drama SMASH, and according to published reports, the show is off to a great start when it comes to ratings. SMASH ended up with a 7.7/13 at 10pm, and was only beat out NBC's THE VOICE and TWO AND A HALF MEN, which also aired last night.