Smash: "The Cost of Art", "Let's Be Bad" and "Chemistry"

It's no fun to get behind when covering television since the new episodes just keep arriving. Let's dance through the past three weeks of Smash, our new favorite show, and be thoroughly caught up. Who's joining this kick line with me?

1.4 "The Cost of Art"
In the stellar fourth episode, we've reached day one of workshop rehearsals. The show is speeding along like it's about to be cancelled and wants to cram everything in. In the past I've criticized the show for a mildly sedate energy in certain key moments but that hasn't been from the typical television problem of the plot not advancing. 

I love first days, don't you?

The episode title is a literal reference to Eileen's (Anjelica Huston) original Degas which she hopes to sell to finance her Marilyn the Musical workshop. Thematically its a foreshadowing of impending grief for these showbiz folks as they struggle through the creation of the musical. Ivy (Megan Hilty) didn't realize that Karen (Katharine McPhee) was in the chorus and there's lots of power plays and wounded feelings. Karen didn't realize that Ivy was sleeping with the boss and there's lots of unspoken judgement and wounded feelings. Derek continues to blow so hot and cold that Ivy can't function and there's lots of insecurity, sex and wounded feelings. Meanwhile Derek (Christian Borle) and Julia's (Debra Messing) new love interests suggest that these two just aren't very good at managing their personal lives outside of work.

"Rumor Has It" ...Bobby is so fierce.

LET'S BE BAD after the jump...

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Burning Questions: What's Controversial About "A Separation"?

Michael C. checking in with some of the aftermath of Oscar 2012. According to a report on Huffington Post, despite having previously trumpeted A Separation's Oscar win as a national triumph Iranian authorities have canceled an event to be hosted by leading Iranian film groups in honor of Asghar Farhadi's contribution to the country's cinema. Apparently, conservative hardliners and clerics, who had been celebrating Iran's first Oscar win, in particular its victory over the Israeli nominee, were displeased after being belatedly clued into the film’s content.  

So why the about-face at this late date? What subversive material somehow slipped the attention of the authorities only now to come to light? What is so controversial about A Separation?

Honestly, I was surprised Iran submitted A Separation for the Oscar at all. The image of modern day Iran in Farhadi’s film wasn’t as devastating as say, the corruption and violence ravaged country portrayed in Mexico’s submission, Miss Bala, but it is still a far cry from the picture one imagines controlling government officials would be eager to present to the world. [more after the jump]

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Curio: Library of Congress Archive

Alexa here. One of my favorite places to look at images that give me a real sense of history is the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. The catalog contains not only photographs but posters, prints, and architectural drawings. A search under the subject "motion pictures" yields some interesting results, including loads of architectural drawings of historic movie houses as well as fabulous images of Audrey Hepburn on the set of Sabrina, Monty and Liz entering the Palace Theater,  Dumbo taking a bath, and Alfred Hitchcock and his wife visiting the pyramids.  Prints can be purchased of any of the images from the catalog, and some images can even be downloaded free in high quality, suitable for printing yourself. Here are some downloads I made from the catalog today, showcasing many sides of the moviegoing experience in 20th Century America.

"Design proposal for a motion picture theater interior, possibly in New York City. Interior perspective view." 1935"Man purchasing a movie ticket from a woman in a ticket booth as a couple stands to the side." 1958"Negro going in colored entrance of movie house on Saturday afternoon, Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi." 1939"Where the boys spend their money." St. Louis, 1910.

"Alice" by Milt Kahl

Character sketches for "Alice in Wonderland" by Milt Kahl

These animator character sketches from Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) via Deja View made me titter... it's the sequence. Hee.

But aren't they great sketches?

Stage Door: Carrie White, Sweeney Todd, and More...

Some people just can't be killed. Carrie White is one of them.

The bastard girl was born from a sweaty brief affair between religious fanatic Margaret White and a man unknown. (Maybe Margaret doesn't even know since the memory of sex seems to fill her with such masochistic horndog fever; can we trust anything that pours from her mouth not to have been thoroughly reworked by her demented faith?) By 1974 the shy teenager was infamous having massacred her whole town in the pages of Stephen King's best seller "Carrie". Brian de Palma's film adaptation Carrie (1976) immortalized the teenage telekinetic once and for all. Carrie White "burns in hell" but she's still aflame in popular culture, too. There will be no snuffing her out.

So what better time to resurrect her again than now when teen bullying is such a hot news topic? "Carrie" (the musical) was an infamous flop on Broadway in 1988 but the shy awkward girl has been given a makeover and is born again Off Broadway at the MCC Theater where she will rampage through April 22nd.

It's always a bit hard to imagine Carrie rampaging when you first meet her all shy awkward and lonely in that hell on earth: the high school locker room.

Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson in "Carrie" Off Broadway

MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

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