Smash

Last night was the premier of a new TV show called Smash, about the creation of a new Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe.  I'd read good reviews.  It really was an interesting show - good situations, characters, voices, and (I no real judge) what seemed like good music and lyrics.  Some of the characters I swear I've met in real life.  And there was one scene, where one of the show's creators was complaining how awful one critic was then - when he liked her work - she suddenly switched to saying how intelligent the critic was.

Been there, heard that.

Heck!  I've said it myself.

Anyone involved with show biz or a fan of it will probably find this show of interest.  On NBC.  (And, probably online somewhere or other.)

Public domain image messed with

And, speaking of TV, did you see the Super Bowl's amazing half time show?  I read that Madonna admitted to being nervous.  No wonder.  I liked the show and it certainly filled the field with spectacle - which is the real trick - but I was amazed once again at the sheer slickness of the setup and take-down of what had to be gadjillions of dollars of sets, lights, costumes, and cast.  Wow.  (HERE's last year's Super Bowl post.)

Super Bowl as a Gig

The Super Bowl half-time show has got to be a very difficult show to invent.

The big problem is size: the "stage" is enormous and much of the audience is waaaay far away from the performers, so that even the biggest of rock stars is going to look like an ant.  It's necessary to do big stuff - stages, effects, and certainly to add dozens, scores, hundreds of backup dancers... Which usually looks like a herd.  Whatever the show is, it can't be subtle!

But yesterday's show by the Black Eyed Peas overcame all this.  The music was strong enough for the space and crowd.  The herds of dancers managed to look choreographed.  Cool Tron-like lighted costumes looked fantastic.  Pieces of set that came out during the show (which helped solve the hurry-up problem of getting all this started) really added interest - having them light up too and spell out giant words was clever.  Everything "read" even from high-up seats.  And there was a real sense of occasion.   (Plus I liked the confetti cannons.)

Not my favorite kind of show, but I've got to admire its slick success.