“Smash”ed

Katharine McPhee and I all the way back in 2006.

Last night, after watching every song, dance and rewrite NBC’s musical series “Smash” had its finale. When we opened, Katharine McPhee’s Karen, Megan Hilty’s Ivy and the whole cast and crew were in Boston for previews of “Bombshell”. And, after a peanut laced smoothie left Uma Therman’s A-list Marilyn benched, there was a question of who would step into the lead. Over the course of the season I was rooting for Karen. Even before the show started I was rooting for her, because I love Kat McPhee. I remember watching her lose to that old man on “American Idol” and just being totally devastated. So I guess this show down between her character and Megan Hilty’s brought back memories of that faithful 2006 Idol finale. I had suffered a relapse, my McPheever had spiked and I was desperate to see Katharine come out on top. Plus, over the course of the season Ivy had deviated from her starting place as a sympathetic, long suffering chorus girl who had paid her dues. With the back biting, back stabbing and boyfriend stealing she had become the villain of the piece. Well, behind

With hours until curtain, our dreamy British director Derek awarded the part to Karen. And, as Ivy watched her rival struggle to learn the songs and steps she so artfully knew she devised a plan. She would reveal that she had slept with Karen’s boyfriend Dev. Derailing her focus and hopefully throwing her into turmoil. And, for a while it worked but after a pep talk and boost of confidence from Derek Karen took her place as our bombshell. I have to say, it was so exciting to see the whole show come together in this final episode. I had written that over the course of the season “Smash” had eclipsed “Glee” as my favorite musical series. And, now that the journey is complete I feel even more comfortable saying that. The journey felt more cohesive, the stakes more worthwhile and the victory more deserved.

Christian Borle and I a few weeks ago.

Sadly, “Smash” won’t be back until January of next year as a mid-season addition to NBC’s television line up according to their upfront presentation held yesterday. So it will be a long time until we see how the drama ramps up once the show actually moves to Broadway. But, thankfully there is a lot to keep me busy this summer. There are rumors of “Bombshell” actually opening on Broadway which would be incredible. But, even if it doesn’t Christian Borle who plays “Bombshell’s” composer is already on Broadway. Currently he can be seen playing the Black Stache in “Peter and the Starcatcher”. My friend June has a friend who works on the production and has been dying to see it, plus he was recently nominated for a Tony only adding to my interest. So hopefully some real Broadway magic with the cast of “Smash” will fill the void left by this 6 month absence. Although, truth be told speaking as a fan of Katharine 6 months is nothing compared to 6 years and that’s how long it had been between “Idol” and “Smash”. I had waited all that time to see her get her chance to shine. And last night as the show wound down and she stepped out on stage for the encore, it felt amazing when Derek leaned in and whispered “you’re a star.” Finally, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who noticed.

BEST Blog: The Musical!

Just a sneak peak of what you could expect from BRIAN! The Musical! Should I call it "BEST Side Story" or "Brian Tuft Superstar"?

I have often said, I wish my life was a musical. I mean my complaints regarding my life are pretty few and far between. But, the ability to randomly burst out into song is second only to being able to eat whatever I want and stay thin on the “things that would make my life perfect” list. My love of musicals and my wish to turn my life into one makes the following statement all the more shocking, before this year I had only seen three Broadway shows. Despite living in New York for 24 years, I had only made to see “Hairspray”, “Young Frankenstein” and “Wicked”. So when I thought about what to add to my 25 for 25 List, I made sure to include an item that would lead to more Broadway exploration. I feel as a New Yorker and a lover of the arts it is my privilege and my responsibility to explore Broadway.  While I am still yet to see “Mamma Mia!” which is the musical I put on the list, I did see “How to Succeed in Business…” earlier this year and spent the past week doing some fun Broadway things.

My first Broadway moment came thanks to a scheduling snafu. I had heard Adam Levine was supposed to be on the “Today Show” to discuss “the Voice.” Only I apparently had heard wrong because he was not there. Uncomfortable with having to face such disappointment before 8 AM, I rallied. Dana, Kathy, Lauren and I hightailed it over to “Good Morning America” for their concert series. We got to see Ricky Martin, Elena Roger and the cast of Evita perform a few numbers in Times Square. Full disclosure my expectations were not that high, but Ricky really wowed me. I obviously know him thanks to his big pop hits, but this early morning live performance showed off his beautiful and strong voice. However, Elena Roger stole the show with her incredible energy during “Buenos Aires.” I had no interest in seeing “Evita” until I saw her perform in Times Square. In that number, she performed with the company in a brown wig. Later on, she returned to duet with Ricky this time outfitted as a blonde. She was so different in the two numbers I couldn’t tell if it was the same actress. She was boastful and fun in the first, then more demure in the ballad with Ricky. I wasn’t the only one impressed by what I saw, my friends and I discussed getting tickets for the show after taking in the GMA performance.

My other Broadway experience of the week, was not a morning concert but a legit show. After wanting to see it since last Fall when it opened, I finally made it to see “Godspell.” I’ve been dying to see it even before I got back into the habit of going to church because I love Hunter Parrish. Since his breakout  role on “Weeds” to the success he’s found in movies like “It’s Complicated” and “Seventeen Again”, I just adore him. I entered the lottery twice before I actually won and got to see the show the night before Hunter’s final performance. I have to say, it was worth the wait and the struggle to get tickets.

Rock me, rock me, rock me sexy Jesus.

The show is based on the Gospel of Matthew, and takes parables and lessons and presents them in fun and vibrant way. While religion is the basis, its more a refresher course on right and wrong. Showing off the hypocrisy within the church and inside us all. I almost went on Sunday, but decided against it since everyone in the cast would most likely be weepy and emotional for Hunter’s final show. And, I wanted a more accurate experience for my first and last time seeing Hunter as Jesus. I made the right choice because the chemistry amongst the cast was just amazing. You could tell the time they’ve been allotted has allowed them to get to know each other, their characters and the material. There were times where I couldn’t gauge whether the cast or the audience was having more fun.

Oh Hunter - I Want to See Thee More Clearly, Love Thee More Dearly, Follow Thee More Closely.

I must confess, I feel guilty for not having more faith in Jesus. Hunter Parrish did not strike me as someone who was going to be an excellent singer and live performer. But, he sang, he danced, heck he walked on water. While I am excited to know he will soon be back to work on new episodes of “Weeds”, it is sad that he’s leaving Broadway because he is such a talented and gifted performer. Also, I know he was playing Jesus but at one point he was on stage in a wife beater and boxer shorts. And let me just say, Glory be y’all. God is good, God is generous, God has the most amazing biceps. Like I said, Hunter’s run has ended and starting Tuesday Corbin Bleu will be taking over. I still recommend seeing the show, as the rest of the cast especially Telly Leung, Nick Blaemire and Uzo Aduba are all incredible. Plus the lotto winners are put on the floor and the cast pulls people up on stage and gives the audience parts of the set to hold up. Making it all the more fun. I also want to retract my earlier statements, because after the show Hunter was a doll. Staying outside for over 25 minutes. Signing, chatting and taking pictures. He even granted me a retake because I hated our first picture. He may have played Jesus, but he had the patience of a saint.

All in all, I enjoyed both my Broadway experiences and was further reminded how I need to take more advantage of living in New York. Aside from “Mamma Mia” I have also added “Jersey Boys”, “Newsies” and “Death of a Salesman” to my list of must-sees. I do have to say, seeing Ricky Martin burst into song in Times Square along with the full fledged production of “Godspell” I have only grown more steadfast in my dreams of my life being a musical. So if you happen to see me singing and dancing in the street, you know why. And, please know you’re not just welcome, you’re encouraged to join in.

Same Old Song and Dance

The grand daddy of "Glee" and "Smash" - "Cop Rock".

There was a time when the idea of a musical television series was laughable. I was first taught all about how unlikely the idea of a successful musical television drama was when I watched VH1′s “I Love the 90′s”. They did a segment on the Emmy award winning “Cop Rock”, a police drama musical that ran for 11 episodes. That was all the way back in 1991, fast forward 18 years to 2009 and along comes “Glee”. My relationship with “Glee” has been long, difficult and complicated. I’ve watched all three seasons, never given up or walked away from it and my feelings have ranged from absolute love to absolute hatred. This season has been a roller coaster of feelings. From happiness when they introduced us to the deliciously evil Sebastian, to sad with the Karasovsky suicide episode, to WTF when they randomly brought in Ricky Martin for sweeps week. The most recent episode aired February 22nd, 2012. Another problem with being a “Glee” viewer? They tend to take long breaks. The other reason that date is important? It is three weeks after the premiere of NBC’s musical drama “Smash”.

The cast of the fabulous NBC hit "Smash".

“Smash” stars Debra Messing, Angelica Houston, Megan Hilty and the amazing Katharine McPhee. Set in New York it tells the story of a group of Broadway insiders as they bring a musical centered around Marilyn Monroe to Broadway. We are nine episodes in and it is the anti-Glee. It has aired every week, on the same night at the same time. The storyline has stayed constant, the episodes seem planned out, the characters do shocking things but they never seem out of character. And, most crazy of all? The intricate and beautifully staged musical numbers seem based in reality and relevant to the story line. Ask any Glee fan and they can tell you the storyline changes on a dime, the episodes seem to be thought up as cameras roll and the characters change so quickly viewers can get whiplash. Don’t even get me started on some of the unnecessary and unrealistic musical numbers I have sat through.

Diana Agron as Quinn, in the shocking cliff hanger set up.

“Glee” returns tonight after three months and after watching “Smash” these past few weeks, I am unsure if I could even tune back in. When Glee last aired, Rachel and Finn were getting married but their wedding was put on the back burner after Quinn got into an accident. The big cliff hanger is did Quinn die? It was a crazy moment and totally caught me off guard. So imagine my surprise when the promo for this coming episode is focused around Matt Bomer’s guest starring role, the Glee club going to an amusement park and Darren Criss covering “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera. Only Glee could take a shocking cliff hanger and bury it under a Christina Aguilera cover. I’m not saying I want them to give away what happens in the promo. But, how about a little “everyone has questions about the most shocking moment of last winter, this Tuesday the answers are revealed.”

Also I love Matt Bomer, more than the next person, but even I am a little perplexed as to what he is doing there. It seems his character Cooper Anderson’s return stirs something up in Blaine and that’s why he is singing “Fighter”. But, maybe the stunt casting could have waited until next week after we got the Quinn situation squared away? And, it’s not just Matt Bomer, my favorite Glee guest star Gwyneth’s return as Holly Holiday last season got old as well. Also, if Quinn does survive this crash shouldn’t she be singing the song about overcoming adversities? Teen pregnancy, being thrown off the Cheerios, her parents divorce, being dumped, her bad dye job and now the accident when she finally got it together? Quinn is the fighter Ryan Murphy, not Blaine. Sadly, my issues with “Glee” are not a new development. But, usually the promos can pull me back in even after a several month long absence. This time I am feeling like what’s the point?

Now, “Smash is not perfect”. The characters are almost too based in reality so they are not as much fun as some of the New Directions. My other concern is what is going to happen when and if “Bombshell: the Marilyn Musical” makes it to the stage? Other than that, the show is kind of wonderful. The show runners have to have watched “Glee” and listed all of it’s flaws and how to avoid them. Even their stunt casting, bringing in Uma Thurman as a Hollywood star to play Marilyn was done so expertly I’m not even mad about it. It will be interesting to see how the New Directions graduating will effect the ratings of both shows. Because, one of “Glee’s” most alluring elements is it’s stars. Even with all the WTF moments and frustrating plot holes the cast is able to sell you on the show thanks to their attempts to elevate the material and make up for the flaws.

I wonder how the creators, cast and crew of “Cop Rock” feel about this new wave of musical television. I haven’t seen a single episode of the drama but from what I saw on “I Love the 90′s” the show ended in a very cheeky fashion. Knowing that it’s end was looming, the final episode shot featured a scene where a great big fat lady was lowered into the court room singing the final number. Because, it’s not over until the fat lady sings. With it’s numerous plot issues, a majority of the cast graduating and a new and improved musical drama on the air “Glee” better find a way to work it out, and soon. Because, I don’t know about you but I can hear the fat lady warming up in the wings and from where I stand she sounds good.

25 for 25 Project: Week One Update

Last week, I launched my new project on this blog. After developing the project over the month of December I knew I was excited about it. But, after viewing the traffic stats for that day, I saw that I wasn’t alone. The day I posted the list was the highest day of traffic, since I broke the news that Colette and Dean were going to get together on Pan Am back in November. Along with the hits, I got some great feedback and lots of offers and invitations to do things on the list with different friends. I am really excited about upcoming movie days, a group outing to see Mamma Mia! and getting everyone together for a day at Yankee Stadium. Aside from planning, I actually did a few things so let’s get to that.

On Monday, I invited Alex over to do some baking. Before she came over, I looked through Martha Stewart Cookies to pick a few recipes for us to make. While flipping though, I noticed how many cookies there were that no one in the house would ever eat. Like Rosemary & Thyme tea biscuits and Cashew Bars. So I made a quick decision to switch Bake My Way Through MS Cookies to Bake My Way Through MS Cupcakes. Alex came over, we caught and drank coffee while getting to work on our cupcakes. They came out really great. But, they didn’t seem dark enough to be Devil’s Food, plus the original Chocolate Ganache frosting came out like pudding. Oh and our plan to make a second cupcake went out the window when we had to run to the store to get some forgotten ingredients. Oh well, there’s a whole 15 months to bake the rest and from the reaction I got I’m off to a pretty delicious start.

After my day of baking with Alex, Sara and I had a date to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. While it has not been on my list as long as Mamma Mia! Sara and I have been discussing going to see it since Darren’s run had been announced. I have to say, How to Succeed is not the best musical I’ve ever seen. There’s only one really fantastic musical number and the story is kind of blah. But, I was impressed by Darren’s performance. I had been assured by friends and even strangers who had seen it that Darren’s charm and charisma is obvious and that his dance moves are down pat. But, no one had raves for his voice. Maybe it was because they saw it in his first week and he was still working it out because, I was impressed. His voice is not Broadway but it was really great.  When you factor in that he had less than a month to rehearse/train and that its his Broadway debut I think Darren did a fantastic job and cemented his status as the Glee star with the brightest post-McKinley future. Seeing this show by getting rush tickets for $30 has inspired me to take in other shows, not just Mamma Mia! My next pick? I’m going to continue my hot guys from TV on Broadway tour and see Hunter Parrish in Godspell.

I spent Thursday laying low, making dinner for the family, catching up on DVR shows and even having a movie screening. The first film to be crossed off my Best Picture list? Million Dollar Baby. I heard so much about Clint Eastwood’s multiple Oscar-winning film about a boxer, that I even knew how it ended. But, never got around to seeing it. To be honest, it wasn’t the film I was most interested in seeing but I had rented it from Netflix a million years ago and never returned it. I thought I had lost it, but recently found it while moving the furniture around for Christmas decorating. (I promise to return it to Netflix when I am done with it.) There is honestly nothing at all I can say about this film that hasn’t already been said. Only that I enjoyed it and am excited to pick my next Oscar winner. I saw All About Eve is on Netflix Instant View. You know, I love Bette Davis… Well I love that song about her eyes, that counts right?

How to Succeed in Meeting Darren Criss By Really Trying…

Darren as Blaine with the Warblers singing Teenage Dream.

There was a point, moments after the second episode of Glee’s second season aired when I thought there was no way the season would get better. The episode had been a Britney Spears tribute episode, and featured 5 of her signature songs. I have been a fan of Britney since the beginning, so to see the Glee kids perform her songs in her signature costumes in replica sets? There was no way it could better… until a few episodes later when Kurt goes and tours another school. Even before I saw the episode, I had heard Darren Criss’ rendition of Teenage Dream when it hit the internet. Even when some very strongly opinionated people I follow on Twitter threw their noses up and labeled it “kids bop sounding” I was in love. Then the visual? Seeing an openly gay teen, sing that song and those lyrics to another gay teen? Oh my God. It was my teenage dream. Forget skintight jeans, from that moment on my teenage dream wore a navy blue blazer.

Darren and I at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One.

I was lucky enough to meet Darren a few days after that episode aired, when he was invited to attend the New York Premiere of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Darren brought his mother as his date, and when I spotted him as he was exiting the after party I made a bee line to him. He was so nice, and so humble as he listened to me prattle on about how much I loved him. I glanced around as Glee’s newest star and singer of the biggest Glee cover to date went unnoticed by hundreds of Harry Potter fans, a TMZ cameraman and a Just Jared paparazzi. Not that I minded, we got more  face time with him. It allowed him to be patient with us as we got our camera struggles under control, he then introduced us to his mom and told my friends June, Ann and I that Deathly Hallows Pt 1 was dark… but awesome.

A fan's homemade Darren doll, in the background you'll notice the large crowd Darren attracted that morning.

It would be some time before Darren and I crossed paths again, I had never assumed it would as easy as our first encounter. In the time since I had first met him, he had become a regular on Glee, performed on a sold out tour with his Star Kid vehicle, become a scene stealer on the Glee tour and also landed the lead in a Broadway show. However, as I left the house the morning of January 5th, I had no idea what I was in for and just how crazy popular Darren had really become. When Sara, who loves Darren as much if not more than I do, and I arrived at the studio of Live with Kelly we were two of twelve people waiting for Darren. By the time Darren arrived at the studio at 8:30, there were what I estimate to be around 100 people. The crowd of people around us was pretty interesting, a lot of them had seen the show already, some had seen it more than once. The nice girls next to us, had traveled from the UK to see Darren debut on Broadway. At one point, the security from Live with Kelly had to procure barricades from down the block and set them up. I have never seen a crowd that needed to be contained outside this studio. And, I have been there when Tom Cruise, Shia LaBeouf, and the kids from Twilight were making appearances on the show. As I stood there surrounded by about a hundred people wrapped in Harry Potter scarves, holding playbills and wearing Darren’s signature pink sunglasses I had a bad feeling. I thought there was no way Darren was going to come outside to say hi.

Darren signing for his adoring public.

But, then like a Crissmas miracle the garage door opened and out walked Darren. Even though all of this change that surrounded him and him now being a superstar he was unchanged. Out he walked, smile on his face, sharpie in hand to greet his public. I drew the right straw, because I was legitimately the first person Darren came up to. I greeted him with “good morning Darren!” and he responded with a similar greeting and then remarked “wow, you look so spiffy” and then added “and I love your glasses, too.” What can I say? I am pretty stylish but its always great getting complimented from someone I admire. Darren signed all he could then did a few pictures, unfortunately my friend Sara was skipped in the chaos. Regardless, I was rather impressed at how long Darren was outside signing and granting requests.

Darren and I.

Now, as my photo illustrates I did succeed in meeting Darren. However, I did not succeed in getting a decent photo with him. You can’t see my spiffy outfit that Darren loved so much. But, I treasure it regardless. It is a symbol that even though Darren has been blessed with a whirlwind of success – becoming the star of Glee, his role on Broadway and an upcoming movie with Kristin Wigg he is still very appreciative of the people who support him. While I doubt I will ever have the same access to Darren as I did back in November 2010 it is great to know that he is still a nice guy. Sara and I are planning on rushing the show this week so I will report back on what I think of the show. I’ve heard many good things about Darren’s performance especially how well he nails the charm and dancing required for the role. I now know firsthand, Darren has a lot of charm.