Smash: So Incredibly Bad

The best thing about this show is that there are three very different productions being developed, all so different that they're each intriguing in their own way. Unfortunately, that's the only thing I still like about this show, so I'm calling it quits. I spend so much time rolling my eyes and snorting about what I'm seeing that I just can't get past the garbage any longer. The previews are even worse - revolving directors and revolving Marilyns, between Tom seeing Ivy as the lead and Jerry seeing Derek as the director. Count me out.  

Smash "The Fringe" (S02E06): First, Bombshell: Eileen chose the workshop version, but Jerry thinks there's too much music and that a song or two should be cut. Julia gets angry that the number dangling in the balance is the first one she wrote for the show, so Tom tries to appease her by begging to keep it. Rather than re-writing it, however, he just re-stages it, angering Derek. [well, yeah!] Derek refuses to take turns directing, so he quits. Julia may not be far behind him, as she's considering going to London with Peter to collaborate on a new project. But even THAT isn't the end of the changes. See, Karen runs into Ellis's ex-girlfriend and learns that Ellis made a deal with Jerry. Karen tells Eileen, who  figures out that Jerry paid Ellis for information. She tells Julia and Tom, figuring she can get the show back and just have Tom direct. [see? the drama is trash.]

Now, Liaisons: Ivy struggles to reel in Terry, who now wants live sheep and mirrors all over the place. [sheep?!?!?] On Press Day, Ivy hams it up, so Terry decides to cut that number because she can't steal the show. [bleh.] So, when he asks her why she's crying, she tells the truth - he's making bad choices. He decides to get the opinions of the rest of the staff and learns that big changes need to be made. [when tech is about to start?? that's going to suck.] 

Will Hart/NBC

On to Hit List: The guys are staging it for a fringe festival, with Karen performing but Derek not directing. Jerry is pissed, as he wants Bombshell to introduce Karen, and he didn't approve any other projects for her. [true.] Six hours before the performance, she has to quit, but she shows up just before curtain anyway. It's still in second position for her, but Jimmy becomes an actor for it and Derek returns to directing the well-received show.

Smash: Liaisons, Bombshell, and Jimmy/Kyle's Show All Suck

Most of you know that theatre is my background. It's the reason I gave Glee a chance (though I hated it) and one of the reasons I wanted Smash to work. But, I don't think my interests and the show's line up together anymore, so I'm thinking one more episode and I may be pulling the plug here. I'm not the only one, either, as the ratings have taken a plunge this season (this episode only brought 2.68M watchers), especially when you recall the pilot's 11.4M viewers. Sean Hayes made it worse. The lack of trust in anyone (Ellis, Jerry, Nick, Peter, Derek, now even Tom, etc.) made it worse. The idea of the fringe festival is making it worse. Liaisons is making it worse. What's going to make it better? 

Smash "The Read-Through" (S02E05): A famous comedy actor, Terry, joins Liaisons and struggles to fit in, so Ivy helps him understand that the show is a drama. However, he prefers comedy, and the director listens to him, making a mockery of the masterpiece. What's more, Terry decides to go off of all of his mental health meds. [what, exactly, is going to come out of this??]

Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC

Eileen can't even attend the reading of the new script, so she goes to visit Nick in prison. It doesn't work for her to see him, though, and she works her way into the reading anyway. Of course, Julia panics when a friend warns her that Peter can be evil, so she almost cancels the reading after learning that another version of the script has been floating around. At the last minute, Julia decides to trust Peter, believing that maybe it wasn't him who gave Jerry another script. The reading goes well, but Jerry doesn't think it's for Broadway... it's "too good" and not for the masses. [ain't that always the way!?!] It turns out that the version Jerry prefers is the workshop version from seven months earlier, that Tom shared with him. [simultaneous jaw drop!] Tom agrees, too, but Derek sides with Julia. Eileen is to be the tiebreaker, but we'll have to wait for next episode to find out what she thinks.

Elsewhere, Karen learns that Jimmy has been with another girl, which she tries to ignore as she leads a reading of their show, with the ensemble of Bombshell. Nobody likes the dialogue and characters, but Kyle and Jimmy decide to make the show more like RENT, meaning they eliminate the dialogue and have the show be sung-through, like the famous rock opera. [maybe this was enlightening for non-theatre folks, but I thought this was a boring "solution."]

Smash: A Side Story

I saw this episode as a mostly non-canonical side story to the main plot of the series. Rather than work on Bombshell, Derek, Ivy, Karen, Tom, and the stage manager are all working on Veronica's one-night show. Sure, Eileen is dealing with the legal ramifications of producing a show with dirty money and Julia does some major rewrites, but those were side-story plots. The entire thing really makes you wonder what is going on... the episode got barely three million viewers last night, and that's terrible news for the series. Music is not enough, and I'm not sure that those being Smash get that. On that note, I really like Kyle and Jimmy's work, as well as the new opening credits montage. But, I'm still struggling to remain interested in the show, and that's not helped by the fact that the dramaturg, once again, has tricked Julia. So much so, in fact, that he's almost got her eating out of the palm of his hand without even involving Tom, and that makes me enraged.

Smash "The Song" (S02E04): Let me explain that dramaturg part a bit more... see, Julia is under the impression that she's giving a lecture on collaborating to Peter's students. Instead, he ambushed her again and wants her to watch Bombshell performed by his class, only he's changed the names, removed the songs, and changed the setting. [which is a great dramaturgical exercise.] Peter's point is that the characters and actions need to be strong enough to stand as any people in any setting. Julia buys Peter's play, The Singing Bird, and finds it terrible. He surprises her by agreeing, and the next thing you know, they're drinking wine and Julia realizes that Marilyn didn't have a voice - all of the men in her life spoke for her, so the scenes should be written from their perspectives. [that seems like a big change, but I guess we'll see!]

Ronnie's mother is apparently her agent, and has turned the one-night performance into a filmed event for Bravo, so it's gotta be good. [wow! I did love the stage manager's note about Ronnie being a little old for a mother-agent, LoL.] There's some concern over whether Ronnie should stick to her classic pieces or sing new stuff, which would help her shed her old image. Karen decides to try getting one of Kyle and Jimmy's songs into the rotation, and Derek gives them six hours to come up with something for Ronnie's specific voice, against Tom's wishes. [I think Karen might have overstepped some boundaries there.] By the time they write something, however, Derek is back to "classic Ronnie" selections, as per her mother's request. Jimmy freaks out and goes missing, though Tom decides that his work is good and wants to use it. [awww!] Karen finds Jimmy hopped up on drugs, and he kisses her. Nothing is planned to be used of the boys, but Ronnie sings a song by surprise, with Karen and Ivy as backup. The final curtain call includes the now-known Kyle and Jimmy. [dumb luck bothers me.] 

Will Hart/NBC

Nick returns the night before Eileen is deposed, and then turns himself in. Still, she tells the truth about what happened, losing her position as producer of the show in the process. [...but I LOVE Eileen! we're not going to stop seeing her, are we??] Her husband, Jerry, will take over as that's what he wanted all along, and paid off Ellis handsomely to pull it off. [was anyone surprised to learn it was Ellis? I sure wasn't.]

Smash: A New Member on the Creative Team for Bombshell

I feel obligated to defend dramaturgs a bit. See, I did my Master's in Theatre with the intent of becoming a professional dramaturg, a job I held for a short while when I lived in Pennsylvania. So, I have some insider knowledge on this one. "Script doctor" is not the most well-crafted description of what a dramaturg does, but neither is "assistant director," which many try to call the position. The role of a dramaturg varies from play to play, theater to theater. They help with new works as well as classical pieces. They contextualize the world of the play for both the actors and the audience, help plan seasons, edit and adapt plays, create lobby displays, and evaluate new works, among other things. So, yes, a dramaturg may make a lot of notes to help get a play off the ground, but there's an old saying - "the playwright is always right." We want to make sure that the original intent remains, and what Peter is doing to Julia and Tom might not be that. Another thought - Law and Order: Criminal Intent did an episode where a dramaturg was a guilty party. In that episode, the character was "the director's assistant," as he helped the director apply her vision to the entire production. He might have been the bad guy there, but let's hope that Smash doesn't sour everyone to the idea behind incorporating dramaturgs into the creative process!

Smash "Dramaturg" (S02E03): First, the good news: Bombshell is back in rehearsal! But, Eileen wants to bring a dramaturg to the team, despite objections from Tom and Julia. [who seem largely ignorant of them, calling them parasites who take credit when they don't create original work. this is a field day for me... dramaturgs receive a line in the playbill... you can't point to anything in a play and call it theirs... not like costumers, set designers, actors, etc.] Still, they agree to meet with Peter, who quickly impresses them into believing that not all shows using dramaturgs are "troubled." However, he soon calls the show a biopic without character development, and says that the script wasn't "alive." Julia feels ambushed, especially after learning Peter saw the show four times in Boston and pitched Eileen about what he could do for the musical. Julia confronts Peter and he says that the show didn't have heat and was too centered around Marilyn in the household. Julia responds by writing a new scene (with JFK), which was good, but according to the dramaturg, "wasn't right."

Will Hart/NBC

Unsure of Bombshell's future, Derek, Karen, and Ivy are off seeking side work. After a killer audition, Ivy lands the role of Cecile in a revival of Liaisons. Derek tries to get Veronica to get her a position with The Wiz, but she winds up deciding to leave that musical to take a chance on her own one-night show. Karen convinces Derek to meet with Jimmy and Kyle about their musical, so they scramble around trying to write the story that ties together their songs. For Jimmy, this means going to his former residence and getting beat up in order to retrieve a notebook. [was that an ex-boyfriend or a former dealer? I'm not sure.] Derek lets rehearsals run late enough that they miss their initial meeting with the guys, but he and Karen later show up to hear the plan for Hit List, a contemporary musical. [I think the "character who has nothing but music" plot is terribly overdone. I was also impressed that Derek decided to pursue the guys, even after some issues with Jimmy.]

RETURNING: Smash, Now with Fewer Scarves!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last season I saw Debra Messing's Julia as an older Grace. This season she seems different, and not just because she's "losing the scarves." Still, she doesn't seem to have matured much, and I'm not sure how removing her family will help the waves of drama on the show. Of course, that doesn't really matter, as every other character seems to be bringing their own additional drama to the set, with the exception of Sam and Tom. Eileen has legal and financial troubles, Derek has multiple sexual harassment allegations, Ivy is considering a career change if she doesn't get a big break soon, and Karen is trying her hand at "discovering" the newest hit musical. When you look at all of that, there's no wonder that so many "fans" of this show are actually "hate-watchers," and I'm close to including myself in that population. I was NOT a fan of this episode, and others seem very mixed about it, too. Do you watch it because you love it or because it's a train wreck?

Smash "On Broadway" (S02E01): Dev has left Karen a note that she promptly crumbles, so she moves in with a friend whose former roommate is now working on a Disney cruise. [if he stays away, that's less drama, too.] She and Ivy are still not friendly, and Karen decides to ask Derek to remove Ivy from Bombshell after receiving some advice from a Tony winner who tells Karen to keep the work good so nobody can take her down. [I agree that it's good advice.] Michael Swift is also let go, as he requests. Ivy, however, is determined to stay part of the show, and Julia suggests she make it clear why she's apologizing to Karen, so she tells the leading lady that she had a terrible night in Boston once and she's sorry that she ever got in Karen's way. But, she's still questioning whether she needs to change careers, especially after running into a former colleague on the street. [what I wouldn't give to have a "guest house" at the age of 25!!]

Rebecca announces that Derek sexually harassed her, so Derek wants Eileen to make a statement in support of him. It doesn't much matter, though, as five other dancers come forward, and we learn that Derek doesn't seem to understand how he abuses his power. [seriously, though, who HASN'T he tried to sleep with?]

Julia doesn't normally read the reviews, but she read them this time, on Opening Night. This sends her into a depression which is only worsened when she catches her husband lying to her. She moves in with Tom, who is newly single. [I love the chemistry of these two coworkers but I don't know if they'll be good roommates...] See, although Sam is happy to stay with his piddly role in Bombshell, Tom asks him to take a larger part on the national Book of Mormon tour instead. [boo. I liked them together. good for Sam, though!]

Eileen books the St. James, and hosts a press event that features both Karen and Ivy singing numbers from Bombshell. But, Jerry begins a sabotage plan, working with an unknown person to get the feds to investigate how Eileen is financing the show. [who else thinks that Ellis is involved??] This gets the Bombshell staff booted from an American Theatre Wing Gala where Karen was supposed to sing. But, Tom, Julia, Eileen, and Derek plan to attend at Eileen's ex's table, though Derek's liability and Julia's depression are both issues. Tom lies to Julia and says that they're giving a speech, so she perks up and goes, only to learn shortly after arriving that it was all a ruse. [that was horribly awkward!] Tom tells Julia that she needs to get it together before she loses her career, and Eileen has Julia give an impromptu speech in honor of the woman who asked the group to leave. Ivy sings "Coming to Broadway" (Karen was on the subway at the time) and the group leaves afterward.

Eric Liebowitz/NBC

With all of this going on, everyone is kinda looking for new work. Ivy auditions for commercials and shows, but Karen listens to some after-hours music at a bar and thinks it's got great potential. [the bartender asking Karen to autograph a playbill was interesting... who keeps their collection of playbills at a bar??] She tells Derek about it and works hard to get both writers to share the work. she learns one of the songs and sings it, thinking it will win them over, though it backfires and the guy gets upset. [what's with Karen's up-do??] The next morning, however, he decides to share anyway. She rushes to Derek's to play him the music. [a little soon to be introducing the next musical, no?]

The 2013 Golden Globes: Times are Changing

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

In four years, this site has never talked about the Golden Globe Awards. They've been around since 1944 and annually award excellence in film (14 categories) and television (11 categories). They're not one of the "big four" awards, which is probably why I've always dismissed them as "not counting" like the big boys do. Others discount them because the members who determine the winners are foreign journalists. Really. The 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association all live in Southern California and are accredited by the Motion Picture Association of America but write for newspapers and magazines elsewhere.

Regardless of who is picking the winners, some people embrace the Golden Globe Awards as part of the "Award Season," which ends with the Oscars each year. For those who aren't cinephiles, the Academy Awards (Oscas) don't mean a whole lot, aside from possibly giving you a film or two to put on your bucket list. The Golden Globes, on the other hand, tend to appeal to a broader audience because of its mix of television and movie awards. Sure, Argo and Les Miserables took the big awards home in the silver screen division, but many expected that sort of thing. The bigger surprised were from the small screen categories.

Golden Globe Awards © HFPA facebook.com/GoldenGlobes

You may already be aware of the winners from last night's ceremony, but did you realize that they are almost exclusively from premium cable channels? Broadcast networks and the main cable networks had many nominees to boast, but when the hammer fell, so did they. Take a look: 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Homeland (Showtime) *winner
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Downton Abbey Season 2  (PBS)
The Newsroom (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime) *winner
Connie Britton, Nashville (ABC)
Glenn Close, Damages (Audience Network)
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey Season 2 (PBS)
Julianna Magulies, The Good Wife (CBS)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Damian Lewis, Homeland (Showtime) *winner
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Girls (HBO) *winner
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Episodes (Showtime)
Modern Family (ABC)
Smash (NBC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO) *winner
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl (FOX)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Tiny Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime) *winner
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Louis C. K., Louie (FX)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

BEST MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Game Change (HBO) *winner
The Girl (HBO)
Hatfields & McCoys (History)
The Hour (BBCAmerica)
Political Animals (USA)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Julianne Moore, Game Change (HBO) *winner
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn (HBO)
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)
Sienna Miller, The Girl (HBO)
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals (USA)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys (History) *winner
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock (BBCAmerica)
Woody Harrelson, Game Change (HBO)
Toby Jones, The Girl (HBO)
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Season 2 (PBS) *winner
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville (ABC)
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife (CBS)
Sarah Paulson, Game Change (HBO)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ed Harris, Game Change (HBO) *winner
Max Greenfield, New Girl (FOX)
Danny Huston, Magic City (Starz)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)

FOX didn't have a single winner. Neither did ABC, CBS, NBC, or the CW. PBS took one award. ONE. So, of the broadcast networks, only one out of eleven awards went to a show that the general public had a fair chance at seeing. History, a cable network, picked up a single win as well. I don't know how much every provider charges for History, but U-Verse includes it in all packages at and above $57/month. The remaining nine categories were all swept by HBO (with five) and Showtime (with four), networks which are additional costs for cable subscribers. Some quick internet research shows that HBO is about $13 extra per month, and Showtime is about $14 more per month. So, illegal downloading aside, what percentage of the population was familiar with the vast majority of the winners? How upset were the people around your office water cooler today when they couldn't talk about House of Lies, Girls, or Homeland? I know that it definitely limited some of the conversation that I witnessed today, and it made me think...

I mean, there's a reason that Game of Thrones was the show most pirated in 2012! People don't have access. The way that the premium channels took the Golden Globes really forces some perspective on the futures for those networks... was this a strange coincidence or is it a trend? During a time when so many people have been discussing the disparity in our nation's socioeconomic classes, will the elite be the only ones talking about awards shows? Last fall's Emmys gave us 12 broadcast winners, 8 cable winners, and 10 premium network winners in the non-creative categories. Premium did better than cable, but only got one-third of the total awards, allowing more of the general public to be aware of "what's best" and take part in conversations about the ceremony.

No, I don't think that the premium networks should be excluded from these awards. But the playing field isn't exactly level, either. What you can say and show at 8pm on ABC is not the same as what you can say and show at 10pm on HBO. The goals for the networks aren't the same. So many things work differently, from censorship to funding to audience demographics. If this is a taste of where "good" television is going, what is going to happen next?

Fun Friday: Character Demographics This Season

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

For seventeen years now, GLAAD has been tracking the number of LGBT characters in scripted programming. You can see their entire report here, which is full of fantastic facts and figures. I wanted to share some highlights, though, as the numbers are pretty interesting.

Their estimate for the 2012-2013 television season (defined as any show premiering 6/1/12-5/31/13) is that 4.4% (of 701, meaning 31) of all regular characters (on new shows and returning shows) on the five major networks are LGBT. An additional 19 recurring characters are LGBT as well. Cable adds another 35 regulars and 26 recurring.

Where We Are On TV 2012-2013 Season
http://www.glaad.org/files/whereweareontv12.pdf

For comparison, they counted only 1.1% of all regular characters on network programming being LGBT in 2007.

Some other facts from the report that stood out to me:

- Women make up 45% of television characters this season.

- Of the network LGBT characters, 61% are gay men, 20% are lesbian women, 14% bisexual women, and 4% bisexual men. On cable, 49% are gay men, 27% are lesbian women, 15% are bisexual women, and 8% are bisexual men. Of the cable LGBT characters, 4% are transgender, a category not addressed yet this year on network TV.

- Glee and True Blood tie for the highest number of LGBT characters at six each!

- Showtime has 12 regular LGBT characters, the highest of any cable network.

- The CW only had one LGBT character at the start of the 2011 season, but now they have four. Speaking of The CW, 83% of their characters are white. (For comparison 72% of NBC's characters are white.) Latinos are specifically under-represented, with only 4% of the characters on network programming being Latino, despite the US being 16% Latino!

- Last year, only five LGBT characters were "people of color," (POC) but this year there are 14.

- The only network shows this year to have LGBT POC are Bones, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23, Emily Owens, MD, Glee, The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, The LA Complex, Malibu Country, The Office, Smash, and Suburgatory. Four are Latino, three are Asian/Pacific Islander, and seven are Black.

- On cable, LGBT POC can be found on Anger Management, Army Wives, Enlightened, House of Lies, Major Crimes, Pretty Little Liars, Single Ladies, Superjail!, Teen Wolf, True Blood, and White Collar.

- The number of disabled characters (a population we've looked at before) decreased this year, to just four - one on each of the four largest networks. GLAAD counts characters with "non-apparent disabilities such as cancer or HIV/AIDS" (as does the ADA). [Because the number is so low, I'll name them for those interested: Dr. Robbins on Grey's Anatomy is an amputee, CSI has a character using prosthetic legs, Parenthood has a character with Asperger's, and Artie on Glee uses a wheelchair. Dr. Robbins will be one of only two LGBT characters with disabilities, the other is the diabetic Thor on Nurse Jackie.]

How do these numbers compare with what you thought they were or where you think they should be? 

For starters, I know that I was surprised to see there were shows featuring six LGBT characters, and I'm surprised at how many of the depicted LGBT characters are white.  

News Roundup: Casts, Plots, New Shows

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Cast & Plot Updates:
Jamie Chung will be joining the cast of Once Upon a Time - as Mulan. Other characters to be featured next season include Jack (and the Beanstalk), Sleeping Beauty, and Captain Hook.

Teen Mom 2's Kailyn is almost done having a large tattoo inked onto her back.

Smash's Dev will be exiting next season, so Karen will get Ana as a roommate, played by Krysta Rodriguez.

Adam Lambert may be joining American Idol as a judge. Steven Tyler is leaving the show.

Carly Rae Jepsen will perform on the Monday, October 8th season premiere of 90210.

Barry Watson (Matt from 7th Heaven) will play a love interest for Blake Lively's character on Gossip Girl.

Game of Thrones is getting quite a few cast additions, including Diana Rigg, Mackenzie Crook, Clive Russell, Nathalie Emannuel, Kerry Ingram, Paul Kaye, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ellie Kendrick, Richard Dormer, Kristofer Hivju, Phillip McGinley, Tara Fitzgerald, Tobaias Manzies, and Anton Lesser.

Joel McHale will play a con man on Sons of Anarchy.

American Dad will have a bunch of guest voices in the future, including Nathan Filion, Jon Hamm, Rupert Grint, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Mary J. Blige will join The Voice next season.

Patton Oswalt will appear as a smuggler in a two-episode arc of Burn Notice.

Parks and Recreation filmed their season 5 premiere at the White House.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Fan of Arrested Development? There's an art show in LA based on the series, running now through July 21st. If nothing else, click the link to check out the slideshow!

Mike & Molly will run on FX when it enters syndication.

CartoonNetwork is now available in Canada!

Fraggle Rock is getting a spin-off 25 years later... The Doozers.

The kids from Glee will be infiltrating Archie comics later this year or early next year.

Hulu is offering a free two-month trial of Hulu Plus right now.

The Firefly reunion panel at Comic-Con will be part of the Science Channel special airing November 11th.

TruTV has Upload with Shaquille O'Neal in the works. It will be similar to Tosh.0.

J. Lo is developing a drama over on ABCFamily. It will focus on a lesbian couple and their family. ABCFamily is also developing a show based on the 1995 movie, Now and Then.

Bravo has The Joneses in the works - the same one that ABC bailed on a while back.

TNT has ordered a pilot for The Last Ship, executive-produced by Michael Bay. It is based on William Brinkley's novel and focuses on "a global catastrophe" that has resulted in the only survivors being aboard a naval destroyer.

About 20 million DirecTV subscribers went without 17 Viacom channels (including MTV, Nick, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, and Spike) for 10 days because of negotiating issues. Everything is now settled.

GSN now has the rights to air reruns of Minute to Win It. Look for it on Tuesday nights in the 7-11pm ET block.

AMC's The Walking Dead will be featured at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights (in Florida and California) this year. Look for the zombies in mazes/haunted houses. 

Hulu will co-produce the fourth season of The Thick of It, a BBC political comedy.

Pete Rose has a reality TV show about his life coming to TLC.

Lifetime has two more drama pilot orders: Witches of East End, and The Secret Lives of Wives. The former will center around a mother and her two uninformed adult daughters, who don't know that they're witches. The latter will look behind-the-scenes at the lives of four women.

Those pesky One Million Moms are already leading a protest campaign against NBC's new fall show, The New Normal. Their angle, of course, is that the sanctity of marriage is being desecrated.

News Roundup: June 2012

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

You know, being the summer and all, one might think that there would be fewer updates as far as renewals, cancellations, and guest announcements. But, no. In fact, we've made the executive decision to stop giving updates for networks that we don't cover at all - like HGTV, FUSE, Reelz, LOGO, Sprout, and qubo. We may extend this to rarely-covered networks, like G4, Spike, Military, NatGeo, and Food, but we'll see. If you object and specifically want us to continue coverage of a network such as this, let us know and we'll reconsider!


Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Shake it Up has been renewed by Disney for a third season. The network also renewed Doc McStuffins for a second season.

Lost Girl has been renewed by SyFy for a third season. Look for it in January 2013.

Investigation Discovery renewed On the Cast with Paula Zahn for a seventh season. Look for it in the 4th Quarter.

Discovery renewed The Devils Ride for a second season.

TLC has renewed My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding for a second season.

Maury, The Jerry Springer Show, and The Steve Wilkos Show were all renewed through 2016.

A&E has renewed Duck Dynasty for a second season.Same thing with Longmire.

truTV renewed Impractical Jokers for a second season of 15 episodes, to launch in December. They've also renewed Full Throttle Saloon for 12 episodes this winter.

ABC has renewed Rookie Blue for a fourth season.

Destination America (formerly Planet Green) has renewed BBQ Pitmasters for a fourth season.

TBS has renewed Men at Work for a second season.

Travel Channel has renewed Hotel Impossible and Baggage Battles.

TNT has renewed Rizzoli & Isles for a fourth season. [I hadn't realized that show had been on for so long already!]

TNT has also renewed Dallas, for a second season.

HBO has renewed True Blood and The Newsroom. And Eastbound & Down, for that matter.

CBS is bringing back Unforgettable from the dead for a 13-episode run next summer.

CNN has canceled John King, USA.

Showtime has announced that Weeds will end after eight seasons.

SyFy has a new reality series, Haunted Highway, beginning Tuesday, July 3rd at 10pm ET/PT.

Season 4 of Hoarding: Buried Alive begins Sunday, July 8th at 9pm ET/PT.

If you're interested in learning more about Oprah's switch to being a CEO of a network, check out Oprah Builds a Network, airing in two parts: Sunday, July 8th at 9pm and Sunday, July 15th at 9pm.

Bounty Wars, a new competition series on Discovery, begins Sunday, July 8th at 10pm ET/PT.

The final six episodes of The Closer will begin on TNT on Monday, July 9th at 9pm ET/PT. Following that, Perception will air its pilot.

Opening Act, a new E! series, begins Monday, July 9th at 10pm ET/PT.

History has a new competition series, Picked Off, beginning Wednesday, July 11th at 10pm.

TLC has Cheer Perfection beginning Wednesday, July 11th at 10pm.

The second season of The Franchise, this time focusing on the Miami Marlins, will premiere on Wednesday, July 11th at 10pm ET/PT.

HGTV's Natural Born Sellers premieres on Thursday, July 12th at 9pm ET/PT.

Season 5 of Leverage on TNT begins Sunday, July 15th at 8pm ET/PT.

TLC has Strange Sex returning on Sunday, July 15th at 10pm ET/PT.

At 11pm on Sunday, July 15th, AMC will debut Small Town Security, an unscripted workplace comedy set in Georgia.

The Weather Channel's Ice Pilots will begin its second season on Monday, July 16th at 9pm.

MTV2's Guy Code will begins its second season on Tuesday, July 17th at 11pm ET/PT.

Project Runway is back Thursday, July 19th at 9pm ET/PT.

History's Great Lake Warriors will premiere Thursday, July 19th at 10pm.

Super Saver Showdown will begin on OWN on Friday, July 20th at 9pm ET/PT.

SpongeBob SquarePants fan? Well, four new episodes are coming! Check it out Saturday, July 21st beginning at 8pm ET/PT.

On Sunday, July 22nd at 10pm ET/PT, look forward to the return of SpikeTV's Flip Men, an original unscripted show following a couple of Utah-based real estate gurus.

Bachelor Pad is back Monday, July 23rd at 8pm ET/PT.

The Godfather Legacy begins Tuesday, July 24th at 9pm on History. It will look at the film and its sequels.

Bravo's Love Broker starts Tuesday, July 24th at 10pm ET/PT.

HGTV's Design All Stars is beginning on Tuesday, July 31st at 9pm ET/PT.

Discovery's SHARK WEEK is back beginning Sunday, August 12th at 9pm!

Major Crimes will premiere on TNT on Monday, August 13th at 10pm ET/PT, but will regularly air in the 9pm timeslot.

Bravo's Gallery Girls debuts on Monday, August 13th at 10pm ET/PT. Get excited if you want to follow around seven NYers who have dream jobs in art.

Toy Hunter will premiere on Travel Channel on Wednesday, August 15th at 10pm ET/PT.

SyFy's Face Off is back Tuesday, August 21st at 9pm. Note that this is a new night and time.

Sunday, August 23rd will see the premieres of GSN's The American Bible Challenge and Beat the Chefs.

A&E will present Coma, a four-hour epic thriller, on Monday, September 3rd at 9pm ET/PT and Tuesday, September 4th at 9pm ET/PT.

Effective immediately, Life's a Tripp, the Bristol Palin reality show on Lifetime, will move to 11pm ET.

Beginning September 10th, General Hospital will move from 3pm to 2pm.

The CW has a bunch of summer premiere dates for us. Remodeled is back Monday, July 9th at 9pm ET/PT, The LA Complex returns Tuesday, July 17th at 9pm ET/PT, Oh Sit! will debut Wednesday, August 15th at 8pm ET/PT, The Next: Fame is at your Doorstep starts Thursday, August 16th at 9pm ET/PT, and America's Next Top Model: College Edition shows up Friday, August 24th at 8pm ET/PT.

Regarding other TNT shows, look for Season 5 of Southland to air in February 2013, and Monday Mornings, Boston Blue, and 72 Hours to come in early 2013.

The final (10-episode) season of Spartacus (Starz) will come in January 2013.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Jerry O'Connell will play Herman Munster on NBC's Mockingbird Lane. Portia de Rossi will play his wife, Lily. Beth Grant will play Maryanne, a nosy neighbor.

John Carroll Lynch and Nicholas Bishop have departed from Body of Proof.

Mario Lopez will NOT be on Dancing with the Stars.

Ashley Tisdale will have a two-episode stint on Sons of Anarchy.

Ray Romano will appear in several episodes of Parenthood next season.

Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons and Futurama, has finally ended his Life in Hell comic strip, which he began in 1978.

Ben Mulroney will join Good Morning America.

Jennifer Hudson will appear in several episodes of next season's Smash. And, Andy Mientus will join Smash in its second season.

Alex Trebek suffered a heart attack but is expected to be fine and keep taping Jeopardy! in July.

Kelsey Grammer is a defendant in a large Ponzi scheme case.

Maura Tierney will join The Good Wife as Maddie, a dot-com billionaire.

Charlie Sheen will be the "Social Media Ambassador" for Monday Night Raw's 1,000th episode on July 23rd.

Jenelle Evans of 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom 2 has been arrested for drug possession.

Ann Curry has stepped down from Today, and Savannah Guthrie will replace her.

Anderson Cooper has come out as a gay man.

Glee's 15 regular cast members will ALL return in the fourth season, for one length of time or another.

Andy Griffith has passed away.

The role of Kristin, the eldest daughter on Last Man Standing, will be recast for the second season. [I sure hope this doesn't lose the series viewers. I LOVE that comedy!]

Should Jersey Shore continue past the seventh season, the case may completely change. Also, Deena Cortese was arrested for disorderly conduct.

The tenth season of Top Chef will be set in Seattle.

Season two of Smash will add two new songs to "Bombshell" as well as have the show vie for Tony attention.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
MTV is developing a tv series based on Scream.

On Saturday, September 29th, ALL of the surviving cast members of the Waltons will be reuniting.

If you want a really big chair for your living room, consider picking up a replica of the Game of Thrones iron throne.

Spike has a competition show this fall called Last Family on Earth, where survivalists who believe the end of the world is coming will showcase their resourcefulness. The prize will be a fortified bunker. Seriously.

FX has ordered Legit as a comedy series that will follow a comedian attempting to become "legitimate" in life.

Showtime has ordered two dramas - Masters of Sex will look at true pioneers of human sexuality while Ray Donovan is about a problem-solver for LA's elite population.

MTV will have a second It Gets Better project. Casting is currently taking place. They also have a new late-night comedy show, The Nikki and Sara Show, which will premiere later this year.

Are you a descendent of the Hatfields or McCoys? There's a reality show planned to film in West Virginia that you could take part in!

If you're ready to start thinking about Christmas, ION has announced their holiday movies to be Christmas Twister (about a Texas disaster), A Christmas Wedding (a high-powered exec loses her job and returns to her small hometown for the holidays), Anything but Christmas (a rom-com), Golden Christmas 3 (three golden retrievers bring a couple of opposites together), and A Star for Christmas (a small-town success wonders if a relationship could work with a famous actor).

Gilligan's Island: The Musical may just become a thing.

Do you enjoy home shopping? Well, TiVo is about to let you use your PayPal account to buy stuff on the screen!

The development of the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film has halted - don't look for it until May 2014 now.

CBS put in a pilot order for a game show based on the Zynga app Draw Something.

An Entourage movie is in the works.

Let's hope that 2 Broke Girls continues to be popular, as TBS has scored the rights to air reruns in 2015. In a more immediate change, CMT will now have Reba and Yes, Dear at their disposal, so look for them starting August 1st.

FOX is planning a Sesame Street movie.

FX has ordered a pilot for Bronx Warrants, a comedy to be about the exploits of David Joglar and Richard Wetzel.

BBC One wants No Strings Attached to be a puppet show, partnered with The Jim Henson Company.

Fan of New Girl? You can catch the tour bus in Miami July 3-5, Kansas City, MO July 10, Chicago July 14-15, Dallas July 25-26, Austin July 27-28, Phoenix August 3, Las Vegas August 4-5, San Diego August 10-12, Los Angeles August 15-19, San Francisco August 24-26, and Seattle August 31-September 3.

Devious Maids has been picked up for 13 episodes by Lifetime.

Wanna see the first episode of HBO's The Newsroom? Head over to HBO.com, YouTube, iTunes, TV.com, or DailyMotion, as it's free in all of those locations until July 23rd.

If you want to see Louis C. K. live, it'll only cost you $45 flat from October through February.

USA has ordered Graceland, a drama that has agents from the DEA, FBI, and Customs all living together in a beach house.

If you have AT&T U-Verse, you may have noticed that AMC, IFC, Sundance, and WEtv were all potentially getting turned off. Luckily, a deal was reached and all is well. DISH has not yet reached a distribution agreement wit the AMC networks.

A&E has ordered ten episodes of Bates Motel without first seeing a pilot.

Smash: The Show Must Go On

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm kinda glad that everyone hated the Smash finale, because that means I'm not alone. I don't care if it's Broadway-esque or not, I'm through with this garbage. I wasted too much time trying to like this show. I've seen a few predictions that NBC is going to regret that they gave it a second season, and I think they may be right. Forcing the Dev-Ivy hook-up to come to light, having Karen get scared hours before she's set to go on, letting Julia and Tom finish the finale only fifteen minutes before the curtain goes up, allowing Ellis to come clean about his plot to eliminate Rebecca, conveniently giving Julia time to be suspicious about why she was vomiting, and showing Ivy contemplate suicide herself were all just too much. I didn't like any of those ideas (except maybe Karen's freak-out), but mixing them all together into a giant pile of disaster wasn't attractive. For a first-season finale, it failed completely to interest me in tuning back in. One improbably moment after another, plus extra oomph all around (a quick moment between Michael and Julia while Frank looks on? sure! why not?!), I just got fed up with this drama.

Smash "Bombshell" (S01E15): We begin twelve hours before the curtain goes up. With Rebecca out, the creative artists must decide if Karen or Ivy will take the lead. Despite the fact that the costumes won't fit her and that she doesn't know all of the show, Karen is selected to take the challenge. [those costumes wouldn't have fit Ivy, either, by the way.] Quite a few people are unhappy about Derek's decision, and Ellis takes it up with Eileen, talking about how he did the dirty work of putting peanuts in Rebecca's smoothie to get her out of the way for Ivy. Eileen fires him. [...but do you think he's gone? no.] Ivy takes a direct approach and asks Derek why he picked Karen. Ivy then decides to retaliate by telling Karen that she slept with Dev, giving her the engagement ring he misplaced as "proof." [but Karen knows how sneaky Ivy can be, so I'm not sure why she would believe her.] Karen confirms the truth with Dev, and soon winds up crying in the wardrobe room. While Derek consoles her, Ivy dresses for the lead, assuming that Karen won't return.

Photo by Eric Liebowitz/NBC

As Tom and Julia finish the final song, she vomits, which she hasn't done since she was pregnant with Leo. [oh, COME ON!!!] Ivy's mom shows up, assuming her daughter will play Marilyn, so Ivy feels she disappointed her once again... and our final shot of Ivy is her with a handful of white pills.

Smash: Poisoned!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Ivy and Karen. Karen and Ivy. Over and over and over. We're all sick of this confounded competition, aren't we? I thought that the addition of Rebecca would at least move this story to the side, but nope! Here it is, back at the forefront! I can't believe how many times I caught myself shaking my head at what was going on. And why are we still making a big deal out of Julia and Michael Swift? That horse hasn't been beaten to death yet? And having Leo and Frank in the audience of the first preview so they could get the applause going at the end of the performance was awkward. I realize they weren't plants, but they ended up acting as them anyway. Speaking of the end of the show, did I forget that they were using the suicide as the final scene, or did we not know that? I think a suicide can work to close a production, but probably not Bombshell, at least from what I've put together about the musical. All I know is that I'm ready for this season to be OVER! Throw me some interesting previews and maybe I'll check it out next season, but otherwise, I'm giving this drama the ax.

Smash "Previews" (S01E14): Karen confronts Rebecca about sleeping with Derek, but Rebecca just tells her that people get hurt in show business. [eh. I don't know what Little Miss Midwest was expecting, but this isn't far from what I would have assumed Rebecca would say.] When Ivy confronts Derek, he claims that Rebecca needs his attention. [hahaha!] Eileen also confronts Derek, telling him that he might be starting more drama by being with Rebecca. [ya think?] The first preview goes pretty well, with the exception that nobody applauded at the ending. [that is pretty rough. I also wasn't in love with the scene where Eileen sings at a hotel bar of some sort, but I guess they needed another scene for Nick?] Ending the musical with a suicide is determined to be the problem, so a new ending needs to be written before Monday. [which may be difficult, as Tom and Julia aren't speaking.] Dev returns and he and Karen repair their relationship, though he acts as if he is meeting Ivy for the first time when Karen introduces them, despite the fact that they were intimate the night before. Karen even accepts his proposal, saying that the RJ thing doesn't matter. Well, Dev has lost the ring, and Ivy says it wasn't in her room, but Karen believes that he just left it in New York, as she thinks he went there and back between their fight and their reunification. [I guess I'd buy that?]

Rebecca thinks it was her fault that nobody applauded, and she begins gagging on her smoothie when she talks to Karen. Turns out, someone put peanuts in her drink and she winds up hospitalized, cancelling the remaining previews.

(Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)

So, when Sam invites them, a bunch of the cast members decide to go to church and pray for Rebecca. [I thought that seemed a little awkward. did it come off as a normal thing to others?] Tom is a bit hesitant to go, but he does it for Sam. Eileen is dealing with keeping everything under wraps with the press and Derek is MIA, but most everyone else attends the service, including Julia's family. Karen even joins Sam for a song in front of the congregation. [in my experience, random folks don't sing for the group, but whatever.]

The end of the episode revolves around Rebecca telling Karen that she won't return to the show, and Karen telling the rest of the ensemble.

Smash: Tech is a Mess

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Tech week is rough, let's not lie. I don't think the show really explained much of why to the non-theatre audience, but maybe that's not their prerogative. However, the whole episode was a mess. Dev cheating on Karen and then proposing came out of left field, Julia's freak-out over the re-hiring of Michael Swift and her family's decision to go to Boston for two weeks with her was awkward, Derek becoming better acquainted with Rebecca shouldn't have been so shocking to Ivy, Ellis now getting thrown errands to keep him from eavesdropping was ridiculous, and Tom taking so much of Sam's father's side was unbelievable. This show is starting to remind me of Glee - I originally tuned in for the music, but had to give it up because the drama bothered me so much. I have a strong feeling that I'll be dumping Smash over the summer, though I will give it more consideration before throwing it into the wind. 

Smash "Tech" (S01E13): The cast heads to Boston for tech week, and problems begin to arise. The guy playing DiMaggio just got a pilot and leaves for Vegas, so the plan is to rehire Michael Swift. Tom chickens out of telling Julia, so Eileen has to. [I stand with Derek on this one - Tom needs a spine, badly.] Julia suggests other possible leading men and begs Tom to side with her, even saying that she'll quit if Michael Swift returns. Eileen worries about everything falling apart. [what kind of bar closes when it's still daylight out?] Julia eventually gives in when Frank (who has been living back at home for all of a week) and Leo decide to accompany her to Boston during Spring Break. [why give ultimatums if you're going to cave anyway?]

Rebecca also reacts poorly to the news, as she isn't prepared to rehearse with a different actor. Ivy has to stand-in for a bit, but she just becomes paranoid that something is going on between Derek and Rebecca. [good. Ivy and Derek needs to end.] Later, Ivy and Ellis hear Rebecca and Derek being intimate in a dressing room.[cliche, much?] But, that's only the start of the problems with Rebecca. She needs more time for her costume changes, so Derek asks Tom for a longer lead-in to a specific song. [for not seeing Rebecca ever taking any voice lessons, she sure has improved.] Then, to accommodate some elbow-length gloves that Rebecca adores, Karen and Ivy must remove them on-stage to save time. [this annoys me, though I've certainly seen similar things done before.] While this is going on, Tom proposes adding a new song for Ivy and Karen, which was cut from Heaven on Earth. [I didn't even understand where he was coming from in suggesting such a thing!]

Sam takes Tom to meet his family, who live in Boston. Tom mentions to Sam's parents that dancers often have physical issues that halt their careers, so Sam's father asks Tom to convince Sam to make a different life choice. [the family commenting on the boys kissing was cute.]

Dev's colleague, RJ, comes by and they end up making out on the couch. He then goes to Boston as he was planning and takes Karen to dinner. He proposes, but she claims to be under too much pressure to give him an answer, which infuriates him. [well, yeah. if it's a public proposal, the polite thing to do is accept and then turn him down later in private!] He later talks of the "sacrifices" he has made in order to stay with her, admits to making out with RJ, and claims that he wants to be with her forever. [why confess about RJ? what does that do for you?] He then heads to a bar where he buys Ivy a drink, and they apparently meet for the first time. [the rest of the internet is snarking about the likelihood of them recognizing one another, so I'll leave that alone.]

(Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)

Smash: Rebecca's Only Friend is Karen

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So... we know that Ellis is absolute scum and will do anything that helps him move up in the world... so how long until he puts ground peanuts into allergic-Rebecca's smoothie? The folks on this show will have to get in line to be the one to poison the woman, however! Eileen is the only one fighting for her, and Julia's been fairly neutral, but Derek, Tom, Ivy, and probably the bulk of the crew would prefer to do without her. So, when Karen begins agreeing to everything Rebecca suggests, the two become peas in a pod without considering anyone else - certainly straining her already-fragile relationship with Dev. But, the most awkward moment of the episode belongs to Eileen, who brought Nick as her date to a fancy event, where he meets Jerry. Why did Jerry bother to hold his date so closely? He's not going to get Eileen back! Anyway...

Smash "Publicity" (S01E12): Derek tells Karen that she'd make a brilliant Marilyn, much to the chagrin of an eavesdropping Ellis. So, when Ivy asks Ellis to steal someone's phone and text Karen not to come in to the workshop, Karen loses a solo ballad, and Ivy is given the song. [Ivy's blue, three-quarter length top was simple but I liked it. everyone moving around to see Ivy sing? notsomuch. and Eileen crying? totally unbelievable. oh, and what was with flashing to Eileen and Nick in bed but then back to the workshop?] Now, this wouldn't be such a big deal, except that the song was written to give Rebecca a break (it's sung as Marilyn's "inner voice"), and she was happy to give it to Karen... but now thinks Marilyn should sing it rather than Ivy. [backfired!] Rebecca actually takes quite a liking to Karen - asking her to go dancing and to dinner, even giving her designer clothes. The paparazzi are all over the two, suggesting they are "gal pals" and maybe more. Rebecca even gives Karen the opportunity to sing with one of her favorite bands, though the star really just wanted to sample Miss Cartwright's talent. Things begin to fall apart, though, when Rebecca tells Karen that boyfriends can be a problem "on the way up." [eh. I was never a big fan of Dev anyway.] Karen, hoping to smooth things over, has dinner with both Dev and Rebecca, but the discussion gets heated when the topic turns to the attention Rebecca and Karen have been receiving from the media. [here's where Dev's background as a press secretary actually means something.] Karen takes this moment to zone out and imagine herself in the much-anticipated Bollywood number. [which was just okay... nothing amazing.] By the end of the illusion, Rebecca is gone. [so she just walked out on dinner?] Back at rehearsal, in addition to being habitually late, Rebecca demands her smoothies be made a certain way, first employing the stage manager to do it (her own assistant and manager are busy trying to find a "suitable" place for her to live in Boston for eight weeks), but then Eileen pushes the responsibility onto Ellis. [Rebecca has such a diva complex!]

(Photo by: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC)

When Frank comes to Julia's to pick up Leo, the parents realize that their son has been lying about his whereabouts for days - they have no idea where he is. [this vaguely reminded me of Danny from the Ninja Turtles movie. no big reason to run away, but he's just looking for a sense of belonging.] They call the police and talk to Mason, Leo's friend. [in describing how the boy ran away and they didn't realize it, didn't they have to bring up the fact that they're separated at the moment? Then why did the cop ask if there was "trouble at home" ??] Julia goes undercover and threatens Mason outside the school, who finally admits that Leo has been sleeping in his room to hide out from it all. Julia and Frank decide to wait it out, and Leo comes home and apologizes - he was afraid of losing everything. [...is this going to bring Julia and Frank back together??]

Smash: Not Doing So Hot

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Rebecca sucks. Ellis blows it with Rebecca's assistant. Eileen is skeptical of her relationship with Nick. Frank and Julia can't stay civil long enough to have a conversation about their son's education. Tom's not thrilled that Sam likes to take things slow. Dev can't admit to Karen that he didn't get the press secretary job - not that they're doing wonderfully anyway. All in all, nobody is really having a great episode, leading to a pretty junky storyline. I'm starting to think I'm getting over this show... we haven't even had consistency with good musical numbers, and I was hoping that would be a backup reason to stay tuned in. :-/

Smash "The Movie Star" (S01E11): Rebecca is not a great singer and she wants to change the show to be less "singing and dancing." [hahaha!] Derek (who is still struggling with images of Karen as Marilyn) brings back Ivy, as Karen is still "too green." [his hallucinations are disturbing, if you ask me.] Eileen backs up some of Rebecca's demands, like wanting a longer scene to delve into Marilyn's psyche, but everyone worries about what else will be requested. The star does, however, have some decent desires, like hiring a vocal coach. [yeah!] The request for a lower key and fewer solos might be met, but at least she doesn't want the thing to be a four-hour epic! [what is this mess of an ending number? and how did her crazy ex-boyfriend even find the workshop??]

Eileen calls Nick and tells him that she can't be distracted from the show, but agrees to see him in person to talk about it. She then digs through Ellis' files to learn that Nick has a criminal history, and when she asks him about it, he simply says that "running a bar will get your hands dirty." [I don't know if that's 100% true, but I've never run a bar, either.] The end of the situation is a bit unclear, but it appears as if they're going to try to stay together. [I don't really care either way, but I'd like more Jerry.]

(Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)

Dev still hasn't told Karen that he didn't get the press secretary job, but she finds out when she goes to see Dev at his office and he's been moved to a cubicle. To life his spirits, she suggests that he accompany her to a screening of Rebecca's new movie, but he stands her up. The film is boring so Ivy and Karen drink. [Ivy's a regular lush, huh?] To end the miserable night, Dev isn't home when Karen arrives. [I don't think he's going to get with his colleague either, though.]

Ellis hits on Rebecca's assistant, but it turns out to be an act when we later see him accidentally refer to the kid as a loser. [but Ellis already got what he needed so what's it matter?] 

Tom and Sam talk about Into the Woods and The Frogs. [Sondheim must have been the topic of conversation?] When they start kissing, though, Sam admits that he's old-fashioned and that sex is holy. [oh boy, this should be fun...] He furthers his point of "taking it slow" by pointing out that Tom is 37 and his longest relationship has been five months. [nothing happening here, got it.] 

Leo is flunking a few classes so Julia and Frank go to the school. Frank acts as if nothing is wrong at home but Julia admits she had an affair and Frank moved out. [I wasn't surprised with how Frank acted, but I wasn't entertained, either.] They then talk to Leo and tell him that he needs to stay focused and not to let their troubles affect him. [uh huh, okay, yeah. not.]

News Roundup: Early April Edition

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Oprah's Master Class was renewed by OWN.

HBO has renewed Game of Thrones for a third season.

FOX renewed New Girl, Glee, and Raising Hope.

ABC is keeping General Hospital and extending Good Morning, America into an additional hour-long segment in the afternoons, beginning this summer. 

FOX is cutting back on COPS, mainly because they're filling Saturday nights with sports.

Sunday, April 15th brings back another season of True Life on MTV.

HBO's new comedy series, VEEP, begins Sunday, April 22nd at 10pm ET/PT.

A new season of Discovery's American Guns begins Wednesday, April 25th at 9pm ET/PT.

TLC's My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding will begin Sunday, April 29th at 10pm ET/PT.

Tuesday, May 8th begins The United Stats of America, a History program designed to teach you about America using numbers. Check it out at 10pm.

Food Network Star returns on Sunday, May 13th at 9pm ET/PT to Food Network.

The CW has The Catalina, a reality series about Miami hotel employees, premiering Tuesday, May 29th at 8pm ET/PT and Breaking Pointe, a reality series about a ballet company in Utah, premiering Thursday, May 31st at 8pm ET/PT.

On Wednesday, June 6th at 9pm ET/PT, Travel Channel will debut Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America.

A&E will debut Cajun Justice on Thursday, June 7th at 10pm ET/PT. The series is about a police station in southern Louisiana.

True Blood returns to HBO on Sunday, June 10th at 9pm ET/PT.

HBO's The Newsroom will kick off its first season on Sunday, June 24th at 10pm ET/OT.

Showtime's Web Therapy will be back on July 2nd at 11pm and The Real L Word will return July 12th at 10pm.

On Friday, August 17th at 10pm ET/PT, Starz will premiere the second season of Boss.

BBCAmerica's first original drama, Copper, will premiere Sunday, August 19th at 9pm ET/PT. The 10-episode show will be about an 1860s cop in NYC.

Cast & Plot Updates:
James Denton will play a love interest for Joy on Hot in Cleveland.

Peri Gilpin (most known as Roz from Frasier) will play Ted Danson's wife on CSI.

Matt Laurer will remain with Today, making $25M each year.

Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Akyroyd will appear on Happily Divorced, albeit in separate episodes.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Netflix has added some new cartoons to their streaming: My Little Pony, GI Joe: Renegades, The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, and Transformers Prime. Later this year, JEM & the Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, GI Joe: Real American Heroes, and Transformers: Beast Wars and Rescue Bots will also be added.

The Smash soundtrack will be available May 1st.

CMT has picked up Bounty Hunters (an animated series) and Trinity 911 (a reality show about hijinks in a small Texas police force).

Disney has ordered the family comedy pilot Bits & Pieces, where step-siblings will have to learn to get along.

Disney XD has ordered a live-action series called Crash & Bernstein, about a 14-year-old boy whose puppet comes to life. It should premiere this fall.

OWN has four new series coming: Elura and Michele Take Staten Island (BFFs who are former prosecutors tell people what to do), Iyanla Fix My Life (an author who believes in the power of acting on faith solces people's problems), Married to the Army: Alaska (military wives in Alaska, many of whom have husbands serving in Afghanistan), and Six Little McGhees (Ohio's first sextuplets and their family).

Discovery has four new series coming, including Top Engineer (pitting engineering teams against one another), One Car Too Far (drive to survive!), Mark Burnett's Alaska (yet another Alaska show), and Fast and Loud (restoring classic cars).

Matt Groening has finally announced that The Simpsons is set in Springfield, OREGON. [edit: nope. that was a misinterpretation.]

Bravo has green-lit a bunch of new projects. Silicon Valley is about some young folks in that area trying to become the next big thing. Life after Top Chef will look at the lives of some former contestants. Below Deck will look at the lives of those who work on yachts. Huh? will look at internet memes. Newlyweds: The First Year looks at the trials and tribulations of the first year of marriage of couples across the country.