Tag Archives: Marilyn Monroe

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Smash

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Smash is an NBC show that premiered last month about the drama that happens on and off the stage during the making of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. The show has a cast of some familiar faces as well as some newcomers. American Idol’s Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty star as Karen and Ivy, the two ladies who battle it out to play Marilyn. Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston also star in the  show.

Seven episodes in and I really like it. I loved the pilot. It showed a lot of potential.  I think it has gotten a little soap opera-y but I like soap operas so I have no problems with that. I have read somethings where they call it the grownup version of Glee but I have to disagree. Glee especially now is just so haphazard and makes no sense. They also just sing for singing sake, it has nothing to do with developing the plot or the characters whereas on Smash there is a purpose for every song.

Lets talk about the singing. It’s pretty great. Katherine McPhee to me was ok on Idol but her voice has gotten better over the years and Megan Hilty, who I had no clue about before this show, is clearly from Broadway. She plays her role so well and her singing is great too (There was one song on a recent episode that didn’t sound that great but it was still better than half the singing on Glee).

The ratings have been so-so for other channels but for NBC, it has definitely boosted its Monday night viewership. Thank goodness because they just renewed the show for a 2nd season. YAY!!! If you haven’t checked it out you should.

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My Week With Marilyn (2011)

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My Week With Marilyn stars Michelle Williams (Dawson’s Creek, Blue Valentine, Shutter Island) as Marilyn Monroe and takes place in the time when she was filming the 1957’s The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier who is played by Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Director of Thor). It centers around Monroe’s experiences with Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), the third assistant director on the film. I saw this earlier this week and I liked it. I thought it did a good job with the pacing. I wasn’t bored at all like I was at J. Edgar. I think Michelle Williams did a great job playing Monroe. She had her look, mannerisms and her voice down completely. I don’t know much about Monroe except for a few things that I have seen but she was definitely annoying to me and such a manipulator. She just knew how to turn on that charm and have men doing anything she wanted. She was also very insecure and in the movie you can see that in the way she was with her then husband Arthur Miller played by Dougray Scott (Ever After, Desperate Housewives), whom I did not recognize at all. They also show her excessive drug use. This movie has Oscar written all over it. It’s a true story and there are a bunch of Brits in it ,including Judi Dench, Emma Watson and Dominic Cooper, so it’s definitely going to get some nominations. Williams is definitely going to get a nomination for Best Actress. I don’t think she should be. I think she was great and played the role really well but not Oscar performance. I would recommend you watch the movie. For people who are fans of Marilyn definitely see it and if you are like me and don’t know much about her but like good acting, go watch it.

My Week With Marilyn is in theaters now.