Excerpts from today's NBC press release on the tree lighting describe the hour-long SMASH-themed pre-show (to be broadcast by many affiliates) and two of the stars of the new series:
Prior to this year's primetime telecast, WNBC, NBC's flagship station, and other NBC affiliates (listed below) will broadcast an additional live hour of the special from 7 to 8 p.m. ET . This first hour will feature performances by all the show’s stars and also a special performance by Megan Hilty, star of the upcoming NBC musical drama “SMASH”.
Megan Hilty - Megan Hilty stars in NBC's upcoming musical drama "SMASH," as the seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn, an ensemble performer who has spent years pursuing stardom only to be bumped back into the chorus again and again. A native of Seattle, Hilty moved to New York City after graduating from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, and quickly made her Broadway debut as Glinda in "Wicked." Hilty has also performed with the Cincinnati Symphony and at Feinstein's in New York City.
Katharine McPhee - Actress and Columbia recording artist Katharine McPhee is currently shooting the highly anticipated Steven Spielberg/NBC TV series “SMASH” in New York City premiering February 2012. It was a year ago that Katharine was promoting her solo Christmas Album “It’s Not Christmas Without You” with the top holiday radio hit “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” Her self-titled debut album exploded on the Billboard 200 and landed at #2. It was also the best chart debut for a female artist in two years.
SMASH won't actually premiere until Monday, February 6 at 10 PM ET. The soapy series promises "a rollercoaster ride" and emphasizes familial relationships and romantic entanglements.
"While everyone is consumed with putting the show together, real life has a tendency of getting in the way. Julia and her husband are in the middle of a complicated adoption; the producer's husband begins divorce proceedings which could threaten the finances of the show; and the brilliant but womanizing director could derail everything if he puts the young star in a compromising position..."
More about SMASH:
"Smash" is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire -- to be a "Smash."
The series centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe -- written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Tony Award nominee Christian Borle, "Legally Blonde: The Musical") and Julia (Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, "Will & Grace"). Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband (Brian d'Arcy James) of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit.
A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty (Katharine McPhee, "American Idol") -- who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds -- and stage veteran (Megan Hilty, "Wicked," "9 to 5: The Musical"), who's determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer, Eileen (Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, "Prizzi's Honor"), discovers the "Marilyn" project and jumps on board with a brilliant director (Jack Davenport, "Pirates of the Caribbean" films) -- whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality. The series stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List").
The pilot was written by acclaimed playwright/screenwriter Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue"). Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray") and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias") will also serve as executive producers. Original songs are written by Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"), who also serve as executive producers. "Smash" is a production of Universal Media Studios in association with DreamWorks Television and Madwoman in the Attic. The pilot was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer ("Spring Awakening," "American Idiot").
I CANNOT wait for Smash! Megan Hilty simply rocks!!
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