Raza Jaffrey News

The words we've all been breathlessly waiting to hear - "You're going on as Marilyn tonight," - were finally uttered by the director of the show-within-the-show, Derek (Jack Davenport), on SMASH's "Bombshell" season finale last night: Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) nabbed the coveted role. Despite seemingly all of the bets being placed early in the season against Karen by viewers and critics alike insofar as her likelihood in donning the peroxide wig and beautymark - she seemed a Norma Jean but rarely an expected choice for Marilyn; certainly no match in the classic idea of the screen siren as far as the vivacious and curvaceous Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) was concerned. While many were quick in giving Ivy Lynn the upper hand - or upper skirt, as the case may be - it was evident from the first moment of the series that Karen, the underdog, is who we were largely meant to be rooting for above all others; the naive Iowa girl singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" on a stage of glitterring stars, so close and yet so far away. Ivy surely made a fast and furious impression soon thereafter with "The National Pastime" in SMASH's pilot, but Karen had already been quite clearly established as our most central protagonist - perhaps with Julia (Debra Messing) equally as prominent. As the fourteen subsequent episodes have progressed, SMASH has revealed itself to be a true ensemble piece with the emphasis on the collective journey of all of the characters and how that has had an effect on the burgeoning Broadway musical at the show's core, but Karen and Julia still have remained the two given the most screen-time and exposure. Megan Hilty has nonetheless emerged as a force to be reckoned with and her performance in the role is the finest of all on the series, outshining all in her songs and scenes. The various highways, byways and alleyways by which we have journeyed on the road of SMASH from the beginning to last night has unquestionably been leading to the BOMBSHELL first preview performances and the reveal of who would ultimately win the part of a lifetime in the show-within-the-show - and, on that count, the SMASH season finale bared all. And, as if all of that were not enough - cameos from Broadway heavyweights Bernadette Peters and Nick Jonas, too!

Estamos de enhorabuena. Al fin podemos disfrutar de Smash en nuestro país. El canal de pago AXN White sirve de plataforma para el lanzamiento español de la serie, estrenada en la NBC el pasado 6 de febrero con una audiencia superior a los 11 millones de espectadores en su primer capítulo. Se trata de una producción de DreamWorks Television (con el mismísimo Steven Spielberg al mando) creada por Theresa Rebeck y con canciones, especialmente compuestas para la ocasión por Marc Shaiman y Scott Whitman. A día de hoy, en que se emite el último capítulo de la primera temporada en Estados Unidos, sabemos que hay renovación para una segunda. Y si esto sigue así, podemos asegurar que tendremos Smash para rato.

Don't forget to tune in tonight to the season finale of SMASH! In the episode, Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) race against time to save the show, while Derek (Jack Davenport) makes a decision that will change the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) foreveR. Ellis (Jaime Cepero) reveals his true colors. But when he finally makes his move to save "Bombshell," will it be for or against Eileen (Anjelica Huston)? In the midst of it all, another bombshell goes off - this one is in Karen and Dev's (Raza Jaffrey) relationship.

SMASH's Megan Hilty recently visited 'Last Call With Carson Daly' and discussed her role in SMASH, her Broadway debut in WICKED, and more.

Next week on the season finale of SMASH, the big night is finally here. Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) race against time to save the show, while Derek (Jack Davenport) makes a decision that will change the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) foreveR. Ellis (Jaime Cepero) reveals his true colors. But when he finally makes his move to save "Bombshell," will it be for or against Eileen (Anjelica Huston)? In the midst of it all, another bombshell goes off - this one is in Karen and Dev's (Raza Jaffrey) relationship. In the video below, Hilty and McPhee chat about their favorite moments of season one. Click below to check it out!

Next week on the season finale of SMASH, the big night is finally here. Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) race against time to save the show, while Derek (Jack Davenport) makes a decision that will change the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) forever. Ellis (Jaime Cepero) reveals his true colors. But when he finally makes his move to save "Bombshell," will it be for or against Eileen (Anjelica Huston)? In the midst of it all, another bombshell goes off - this one is in Karen and Dev's (Raza Jaffrey) relationship. Additionally, Nick Jonas returns as 'Lyle' and you can check out a sneak peek of him in action below!

Next week on the season finale of SMASH, the big night is finally here. Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) race against time to save the show, while Derek (Jack Davenport) makes a decision that will change the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) forever. Ellis (Jaime Cepero) reveals his true colors. But when he finally makes his move to save "Bombshell," will it be for or against Eileen (Anjelica Huston)? In the midst of it all, another bombshell goes off - this one is in Karen and Dev's (Raza Jaffrey) relationship. Check out a sneak peek below!

On last night's episode of SMASH, viewers finally got their first look at 'Bombshell,' the Marilyn Monroe musical at the heart of NBC's new musical drama. The show opened for a test run in Boston. In the episode entitled 'Previews', the writing team of Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) scrambled to fix the show when the first preview fell short, and Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) had to adjust to the unwelcome return of Michael Swift (Will Chase) to his life. Dev (Raza Jaffrey) seeked reconciliation with Karen (Katharine McPhee), but explosive information about Ivy (Megan Hilty) lurked just beneath the surface.

"It's always gorgeous when you sing," and so the same goes for NBC's musical drama series SMASH. This week's penultimate episode of the first season order of fifteen gave us a long-awaited real look at the actual production of the musical-within-the-show live onstage in the form of the first Boston preview in the out-of-town tryout of BOMBSHELL. Up until this point, we have only been provided with sporadic glimpses into the mind's eye of the director of the show as he stages and rehearses the various song sequences. With last night's "Previews" episode we got our third major iteration of "Let Me Be Your Star" - following the full-out song at the conclusion of the pilot episode and the subsequent ballad opening number version shown in Episode 2 - with Rebecca Duvall (guest star Uma Thurman) belting it out to mixed results. Mixed results is the kindest way to say that the volatile and kooky movie star character simply does not work in any way as Marilyn Monroe in the bio-musical about her life being created - not physically, tonally and certainly not musically. Croaking out the sumptuous and richly melodic Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman gems that have been specifically created for SMASH's BOMBSHELL - songs dutifully doled out in sparingly small doses of one or two each week - is near-sacrilege when one ponders the talent even on the very same stage; Ivy (Megan Hilty) or Karen (Katharine McPhee) could both kill the role, as wee have seen. So, who will ultimately make it to the stage that now, in the eleventh hour, the star of the show has walked? Of course, the sure-to-be action, drama and music-filled finale to Season One arrives next Monday at the same SMASH place and same SMASH channel - will the Marilyn musical be a bomb or a smash? Will the show even go on at all given the unforeseen obstacles? A lot remains to be answered, but the fever pitch fans and viewers have been yearning for has definitely entered, stage right. Next week we will see who truly sparkles, who really shines - and who ends up exploding.

The new featured song from tonight's episode of NBC's musical drama series 'Smash' (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), is now available from NBCUniversal Television.

Ten schools across the nation have been selected for the second phase (Fall, 2012) of 'NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical.' The philanthropic initiative, sponsored by NBC's hit musical drama series 'Smash' and administered by iTheatrics' Junior Theater Project, works with under-served schools across the country to stage their own productions and implement self-sustaining theater programs.

On next week's episode of SMASH, viewers will finally get their first look at 'Bombshell,' the Marilyn Monroe musical at the heart of NBC's new musical drama. The show will open for a test run in Boston. In the episode entitled 'Previews', the writing team of Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) scramble to fix the show when the first preview falls short, and Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) must adjust to the unwelcome return of Michael Swift (Will Chase) to his life. Dev (Raza Jaffrey) seeks reconciliation with Karen (Katharine McPhee), but explosive information about Ivy (Megan Hilty) lurks just beneath the surface. Check out 'Gotta Be a Smash' from the episode below!

Last month, it was reported that SMASH creator and executive producer Theresa Rebeck would step down as showrunner for the television show before it returns for its second season. At the time, it was indicated that Rebeck would continue writing and producing for the show, but as the writer told Vulture, she's focusing on other projects and will not return in any capacity for SMASH's second season.

On this Monday's episode of SMASH, viewers will finally get their first look at 'Bombshell,' the Marilyn Monroe musical at the heart of NBC's new musical drama.

Last night's episode of SMASH was full of surprises for the cast and crew of 'Bombshell'. If you missed any of the drama, be sure to catch up now!

Kicking off the plot-packed night, Cole Porter's classic KISS ME, KATE showbiz paean "Another Op'nin', Another Show" was given a full-bodied and exciting rendition by Christian Borle - with a gloriously accentuated arrangement courtesy of SMASH songwriter Marc Shaiman; seemingly channeling Barbra Streisand and Peter Matz - and, with that, the SMASH train left Manhattan and hit Boston for the tryout of the musical-within-the-series, BOMBSHELL. While Rebecca Duvall (Uma Thurman) may play the director of the show, Derek (Jack Davenport), better than she does her actual role in the musical - Marilyn Monroe - she is not the only member of the rich and varied ensemble on SMASH to be playing or being played (or both) - or hitting the occasional wrong note or two. With only two episodes left in Season One, the threads are being wrapped up into what is shaping up to be a pleasingly complex and colorful tapestry.

BC and Columbia Records' soundtrack from the first season of NBC's musical hit SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) will be released today, May 1.

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

According to the Hollywood Reporter, SMASH's Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty, whose characters specnt most of the season battling over Marilyn, will both be submitted in the 'Supporting Actress' category for the 2012 Emmy Awards. Debra Messing, who plays Julia, will be the only actor submitted in a 'Leading' catergory.

On Monday night's episode of NBC's musical drama SMASH entitled 'Tech', as Rebecca Duvall (Uma Thurman) gets ready to take center stage when Bombshell goes on the road to Boston, it looks like Ivy may lose Derek once and for all as the production's director looks to continue his track record of bedding his leading ladies. Ivy is overcome with jealous as she sings Rose Royce's 'I'm Goin' Down'. To get a first look at the performance, click here!