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February 8, 2012
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MM NBC ‘smashes’ FOX’s Glee MM NBC debuts a new show full of great performances and stellar acting. CHRISTOPHER CARTER FOR THE WICHITAN
Lights, camera, Smash! Last night NBC debuted the new television show Smash. NBC is trying to mooch off of the success of FOX’s Glee. The crazy thing about this is, Smash might be considerably better. Instead of weekly episodes that put you in the mind of High School Musical, Smash details the life of aspiring actresses and their pursuit of the role of Marilyn Monroe in the fictional theater play Marilyn. The show begins with American Idol alum, Katherine McPhee as Karen Cartwright, belting the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on a beautiful stage with bright lights. McPhee sings every note effortlessly as she channels her inner Jennifer Hudson. It is revealed that McPhee is actually auditioning for a part, when a producer’s ringing phone abruptly interrupts her. As McPhee is rudely rushed out of the room, musical theater sensation Megan Hilty, as Ivy Lynn, introduces herself to
the world. Hilty immediately captures viewers with her sex appeal that is a complete 180 from McPhee’s shy and sweet demeanor. The characters Karen Cartwright and Ivy Lynn are about as different from each other as Taylor Swift and Shakira. After Karen and Ivy’s auditions, Will and Grace star Debra Messing as playwright Julia Houston, and actor Christian Borle as the flamboyant play and songwriter Tom Levitt, are seen discussing their past theater failures. When Tom’s assistant, Jaime Cepero as Ellis Tancharoen, brings up the idea of a play about the great Marilyn Monroe, his idea is immediately shut down. Julia is taking a “break” from playwriting. Tom and Julia had previously created a playwright of the late Marilyn Monroe, but it commercially “flopped.” While the idea of “Marilyn” is shot down, Julia’s creative juices are starting to bubble with ideas, including a baseball number. After an intense divorce mediation between Academy Award winner Anjelica Hutson as producer Eileen Rand and her husband, Tom and Julia are seen working on a demo recording for “Marilyn” with Ivy. Ivy is working on one of Tom’s plays but is feeling unfulfilled.
The part of Marilyn in a big theater production would be a dream for her. As Ivy records the song for Marilyn, she embodies everything Marilyn was. She has the sex appeal but has a voice Marilyn Monroe only dreamed of having. Her performance is one of the highlights of the premiere. Apparently Tom’s assistant Ellis felt the same way because it is revealed that he taped the recording and posted it on the Internet. While Julia is furious, the song receives outstanding reviews and catches the eye of producer Eileen Rand. After a meeting between Eileen, Tom, Julia and the fired but rehired Ellis, the production of “Marilyn” is under-way. The only problem is the arrogant, womanizing director Jack Davenport as Derek Willis. Tom and Derek have a past filled with negative experiences so Tom expresses his dislike of Derek and his disapproval of him as the director. Conflict arises when Derek choreographs an amazing dance and performance of Tom’s baseball themed song causing him to concede and ultimately hire him. The baseball-themed song was another highlight of the show. The dancing, singing, and acting were one-of-a-kind.
Megan Hilty’s performance as Marilyn was flawless. She shows why she is a highly regarded musical theater actress. Unfortunately, Derek doesn’t think so and opens up a casting call for the role of Marilyn. In comes McPhee’s Karen Cartwright. Karen had been portrayed as a sweet and humble young woman with a loving and supportive boyfriend Raza Jaffrey as Dev Sundaram. Her parents are very loving but her dad believes Karen’s dream of being a star is childish. All the while her mom is telling her to marry her loving boyfriend. The next day, Karen wows Tom, Julia, Anjelica, and Derek with her vocal ability and physical appearance. Derek thoroughly enjoys the performance, eventually texting Karen in the middle of the night to come by his apartment to read for the play.
While Karen believes she is only reading for a part, Derek has alternative motives. He sees Karen and believes he can manipulate her into doing what he wants. Karen gets the last laugh when she goes to the bathroom and comes back out with undergarments and one of his button up shirts. She teases him and shows how “sexy” she really is only to ultimately mess with his mind and leave him wanting more. The next day, Karen and Ivy are called back for the role of Marilyn and battle in different auditions. This scene sets the table for a season of drama and great performances. The new NBC television musical has the potential to be a commercial and critical success for years to come. The musical drama returns Monday at 9 p.m. Central on NBC. Smash will prove to be just that, a smash.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Peace, Love & Lipgloss Romantic Valentine’s Day eyes
It’s Valentine’s Day! Whether you are going out on a date with your love or attending a single’s awareness party, glamorous makeup will give you confidence and beauty for both. Pigment eye shadow gives gorgeous shimmer with potentially powerful color. MAC Cosmetics has put together pigment stacks, which contain four containers of velvety smooth, rich shades that last for quite a while. For Valentine’s date makeup, a beautiful option is MAC Dazzlesphere! Berry Ornament ($32.50 at maccosmetics.com). This is actually from their holiday 2011 collection, but these colors are perfect for spring as well. The trick to using crushed metallic pigments is to press the shadow onto the lid, as opposed to sweeping it across. This will prevent fall-out and build the layers so that the color appears more opaque. You may also wet your shadow brush at any time to enhance the color and make application easier. Start out by applying eye shadow primer over your entire lid - lash to brow. Urban Decay Primer Potion ($18 at Ulta) is a great option. Then pull out the lightest shade of your pigment stack, Pearl (Champagne),
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and a flat eye shadow brush. Sephora Collection I.T. Concealer Brush ($28 at Sephora.com) actually works really well when applying loose pigments. Insert the brush into the pigment and transfer it to the cap. Then press the shadow into the brush and tap it against the side to get rid of excess. In small movements, press the color into the inner corner and upper brow bone of your lid. This will highlight and brighten your eyes to make them appear larger. Wipe the brush clean and use the same steps listed above to grab the second color, Rose Light (Shimmering Salmon Pink). Swirl this pigment over the entire lid, focusing on the lower one. You can double up on the color by layering it in quick, small movements.
Add depth to your eyes with sweeping Spicy Smoke (Deep Burgundy) into your crease. This color can be quite powerful, so be careful not to use too much; the red tones can potentially make your lids look irritated. Add the final touch of color with Roasted Chesnut (Dark Bronze) in a small sideways “v” shape in the outer corner of your eye. You can bring the look together by smudging a thin line of Spicy Smoke or Roasted Chesnut beneath your eyes. Then line along your upper lashes with a dark brown liner, such as NYX Slide On Eye Pencil – Brown Perfection ($7.99 at Ulta). Finally, glam out your eyes with volumizing mascara. If you feel like splurging, try out Dior DiorShow Mascara ($25 at sephora.com). A less expensive option is Maybelline Volum’ Express Falsies Mascara ($5.94 at Target). And Voila! You’re gorgeous, doll face!
vye What beauty topics would you like to read about? E-mail ideas: wichitan@mwsu.edu
Photo by CORA KUYKENDALL
Name: Steve Hilton, assistant professor at the Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts What is your focus in art? “Ceramics. I teach Ceramics 1 through 5 and Art Education.” How long have you been doing ceramics? “I actually started out as a science teacher. A friend introduced me to ceramics. I have been doing ceramics for 13 years.” Professor Hilton will speak in Thailand this summer. He has recently been featured on the cover of a Thai ceramics magazine.