Talkin Smash!

It’s finally opening night and we’ve got thoughts, feelings, and faves! We recorded this in January 2022 so the pop culture we’re talking about is of that time.

Scarf Count: 1

Bombshell

Directed by Michael Morris

Written by Theresa Rebeck

Originally aired 5/14/2012

NBC.com Synopsis:

The big night is finally here. Tom and Julia race against time to save the show, while Derek makes a decision that will change the lives of Karen and Ivy forever.

Pop Culture References: Little Women, Greta Gerwig, Little Women costume design, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Midsommar, 30 Rock, Chronic Loaf, Real Housewives, Aaron Sorkin, Amadeus, Mean Girls (the musical), West Side Story, Ibiza: Love Drunk, Willow, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Rogers: The Musical, tick, tick…BOOM!, The Three Musketeers, The Wheel of Time, Schmigadoon!

Smashlash: Noel Murray for AV Club https://www.avclub.com/smash-bombshell-1798172808/amp

Under 5 of the Week: the usher who says ‘Program!’

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Tom!

Musical Numbers:

All our returning Bombshell favorites plus the debut of ‘Don’t Forget Me’ by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

We discuss the overlap between musical theater fans and sci-fi , movie stars on Broadway, and how Smash depicts the casting couch.

Scarf Count: 9

Previews

Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill

Written by David Marshall Grant

NBC.com Synopsis: “Bombshell”faces its first audience just as a major crisis hits Rebecca Duvall.

Pop Culture References: Alyssa Milano, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Prince, Spock, Doctor Who, Daleks, Weeping Angels, Shakespeare, Slings & Arrows, Luke Kirby, Six Degrees of Separation, Stockard Channing, The Devil Wears Prada, Angels in America, Scarlett Johansson, Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Katharine Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Natasha Richardson, Cabaret, Daryl Zanuck, Dave Chappelle, Harvey Weinstein, Ursula, The Little Mermaid, game theory, the prisoner’s dilemma, Marc Kudisch, Bye Bye Birdie, Gaston, Beauty and the Beast, 9 to 5: The Musical, David Mamet, John Malkovich, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Water Engine, Anjelica Huston, Walter Huston, Knickerbocker Holiday, Marianne Faithfull, 20th Century Blues, Pirate Jenny, Fred Astaire, Cole Porter, Lassie, J’accuse!, Jon Snow, The Kids Are All Right, Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Isiah Whitlock, American Idol, Marilyn Monroe

Smashlash: https://www.google.com/amp/s/tv.avclub.com/smash-previews-1798172710/amp

Under 5 of the Week: Hinton Battle as the preacher!

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Tom!

What Would Tarana Burke Say? How To Deal With Sexual Harassment by Ashley Steves https://www.backstage.com/uk/magazine/article/deal-sexual-harassment-65206/#section0

Musical Numbers:

Smash! by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

September Song by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson

Stand by Donnie McClurkin

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

We discuss erectile dysfunction ads, how Karen is a Karen, and the problems of casting a non-singer with no stage experience in an unfinished new musical.

Scarf Count: 13

Tech

Directed by Roxann Dawson

Written by Jason Grote and Lakshmi Sundaram

NBC.com Synopsis:

“Bombshell” moves to Boston as it finally finds its way to the stage.

Pop Culture References:

Marie Kondo, Star Trek: Voyager, Tea With Queen & J, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Kiss Me Kate, Rex Harrison, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chicago, Carwash, Mary J. Blige, Gilmore Girls

Listen to Tea With Queen & J on your podcast app or at

http://www.teawithqueenandj.com

You can follow the show @teawithqj and on their hashtag #teawithqj

Smashlash:

Hillary Busis, Entertainment Weekly https://www.google.com/amp/s/ew.com/recap/smash-season-1-episode-13/%3famp=true

Under 5 of the Week: Ty Jones as Sam’s brother. Follow him @TDJNYC.

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Sam! Congratulations again Leslie Odom, Jr. Follow him @leslieodomjr

Musical Numbers:

Another Op’nin’, Another Show by Cole Porter

I’m Going Down by Norman Whitfield

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

#talkinsmash

Episode 112 Publicity

Guys, it’s the episode with the Bollywood number! We also discuss Dev’s growing resentment of Karen having a life, how good Ellis looks, and we Kent Test everyone’s favorite stage manager-Linda, played by Ann Harada! You can follow Ann Harada on Twitter at @annharada

Scarf Count: 32! A new record!

Publicity

Directed by Michael Mayer

Written by Therea Rebeck

NBC.com Synopsis: Karen finds herself seduced by the glamorous life of new BFF Rebecca Duvall… but can Rebecca be trusted?

Pop Culture References: Bollywood, Steven Spielberg, Marilyn Monroe, Broadway, Joe DiMaggio, Tony Yazbeck, Julie Klausner

The Kent Test: Linda scored a 5. The highest score for a woman of color yet!

The Kent Test was created by Clarkisha Kent. You can find her and the test on https://clarkishakent.com.

Smashlash:

Hillary Busis for Entertainment Weekly: https://www.google.com/amp/s/ew.com/recap/smasn-season-1-episode-12/%3famp=true

Noel Murray for AV Club: https://www.google.com/amp/s/tv.avclub.com/smash-publicity-1798172527/amp

Under 5 of the Week: Erin Wyatt as Lindsey Mullins IG: @wyattgram

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Tom!

Musical Numbers:

“Run” by Snow Patrol

“Secondhand White Baby Grand” by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

“A Thousand and One Nights” by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

Watch Smash at nbc.com or the NBC app.

Ruth and Tina do a quick debrief directly after the May 20th Bombshell In Concert streaming event. It was before the oh-so-exciting announcement of Smash, A New Musical but we’ll talk about that and more on our next episode coming soon.

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

We celebrate the advent of Uma Thurman on the show, the growing camaraderie of Karen and Ivy, and the sexiness of emotionally available men. We bemoan the musical number of the week and wonder why no one on this show will stand up for musicals?! In the episode, the creative team tries to morph the show to suit their movie star. Ellis’ sexual gamesmanship is foiled by a call waiting fail. Dev is still the worst.

Scarf Count: 13

The Movie Star

Directed by Tricia Brock

Written by Julie Rottenberg & Elisa Zuritsky

NBC.com Synopsis:

“Bombshell” is turned upside-down by the arrival of movie star Rebecca Duvall. Karen and Ivy are drawn into an uneasy alliance against their new rival — but can they overcome their history? The romance between Tom and Sam heats up, while Julia and Frank must put aside their differences to address a family crisis.

Pop Culture References:

Gilligan’s Island, Soapdish, Katie Holmes tap dancing on SNL, Parks & Recreation, Gilmore Girls, Stephen Sondheim, Hustlers, the Actors Studio, The West Wing, Mickey Rooney ruining Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Guys & Dolls, Ewan McGregor, Jane Krakowski, White Christmas, Martha Graham, Audrey Hepburn, Funny Face, Gigi

Under 5 of the Week: The Guidance Counselor (Betsy Aidem)

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Nick (Thorsten Kaye)

Uma Thurman interview – Feb 3, 2018: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/03/opinion/sunday/this-is-why-uma-thurman-is-angry.html

Musical Numbers:

Our Day Will Come by Mort Garson and Bob Hilliard

Dig Deep by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

But instead of those, watch Audrey Hepburn from “Funny Face”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4G5hUvL-wI

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck.

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

Like Elizabeth Warren, Ivy has a plan! Julia and an off-screen Frank commit various parenting no-nos. Tony Award winner Christian Borle finally gets a full blown musical number. Tina’s lifelong crush Terrence Mann guest stars! Eileen and Nick’s mature flirtation blossoms into a full blown make-out session. Our love for Wesley Taylor and Ann Harada continues. Derek and Dev are trash. We question whether the show failed to properly credit who played the drama teacher.

Scarf Count: 12

Understudy

Directed by Adam Bernstein

Written by Jerome Hairston

NBC.com Synopsis:

The show has landed star Rebecca Duvall, but Eileen is thrown into a panic.

Pop Culture References:

Angelina Jolie, 30 Rock, Baby Got Back, Beastie Boys, Black Panther Party, Woody Allen, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Louis C.K., Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, Harvey Weinstein, Sean Penn, Michael Bloomberg, Westeros (Game of Thrones), Jessie Mueller, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Waitress, Carousel, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Oklahoma, The Rock, Mad Men, The Washington Square News, Kermit the Frog, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Sardi’s, Daryl Zanuck, Jerry Orbach, Joel Grey, Terrence Mann, Cats, The Rocky Horror Show, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Sense 8, Charlotte d’Amboise, Every Little Step, Mick Jagger, Bernadette of Lourdes, One Republican, Wrestlemania, How I Met Your Mother, Gary, Titus Andronicus, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Christopher Durang

Anjelica Houston interview (TW: sexual assault, IPV) https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vulture.com/amp/2019/05/anjelica-huston-in-conversation.html

Under 5 of the Week: The Drama Teacher (Kristine Nielsen?)

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Leo (Emory Cohen)

What Would Tarana Burke Say?:

Melvin J. Lerner quote from Belief in a Just World: A Fundamental Delusion

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Belief_in_a_Just_World.html?id=1t3VBQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button

“If we assume then…” Quote is on page 6

Trigger warning that Lerner, a white man, uses racist language in this study including the “er” version of the n-word.

Musical Numbers:

Breakaway written by Matthew Gerrard, Bridget Benenate and Avril Lavigne

Don’t Say Yes Until I Finish Talking written by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

Never Give All the Heart written by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

We discuss Ellis’s bisexuality, the heartbreak of learning Lawyer John (Neal Bledsoe) is a Republican, Ivy’s confusing cocktail of medication, Derek is still a whiny baby, Ivy & Karen confront each other, the Julia/Michael adultery song, male anger, and physical violence.

Scarf Count: 10

Hell on Earth

Originally aired 4/2/2012

Directed by Paul McGuigan

Written by Scott Burkhardt

NBC.com synopsis:

The team begins their pursuit of a marquee star, as Eileen charges Tom and Julia with finding a title for the newly reinvigorated musical.

Pop Culture References:

Scandal, Prednisone, Ambien, Klonapin, lorazepam, benzodiazepines, Billy! Phantom of the Opera, Michael Crawford, American Idiot, Studio City on the Sunset Strip, Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin, Coriolanus Burt, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Slings & Arrows, Bruno Mars, La Mama, Tom Ripley, Doug Jones, Doubt, Michael Riedel, New York Post, Bernadette Peters, Game of Thrones, Crown Royal, Donald Trump, Uma Thurman, Gypsy, Garson Kanin, Shonda Rhimes, Sean Duggan, Oz

Lianne’s Kent Test Score: 4

Read the Kent Test here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/equalityforher/HR_The+Kent+Test.pdf

Follow Jennifer Ikeda on Twitter @Ikedamame

The Kent Test was created by Clarkisha Kent. Follow her on Twitter @IWriteAllDay_ and join her Patreon https://www.patreon.com/clarkishakent

Smashlash:

Noel Murray (A.V. Club)https://tinyurl.com/yyojlqbb

Under 5 of the Week:

Andrea Bordeaux as the Casting Assistant

Follow her on Instagram @andrea_bordeaux

Least Problematic Man of the Week:

Piano Man in Times Square

Musical Numbers:

The Higher You Get, The Farther You Fall by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

Under the Brooklyn Bridge by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

Cheers (Drink to That) by Avril Lavigne, Jermaine Jackson, Rihanna, et al.

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_lady

Ruth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmash

www.talkinsmash.com

We discuss how much we hate Mahatma Katie and her imperialist voluntourism, the misuse of super talented Brian D’Arcy James, Wesley Taylor is a damn delight, Dev’s messed up priorities, Smashmath, Ellis might be our favorite character now, the secret Brooklyn rival Marilyn Monroe musical number, Derek & Tom’s history, Tom brings the bad news to Ivy.Scarf Count: 11The CoupOriginally aired 3/26/2012Directed by Paris BarclayWritten by Theresa RebeckNBC.com synopsis:Ivy remains in the dark about her fate, while Derek recruits Karen to help.Pop Culture References:NAACP, Director’s Guild of America (DGA), Lord Elgin, Gandhi, Ryan Tedder, One Republic, Heather Graham, Bowfinger, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grace Gummer, Meryl Streep, Degas, Jonas Brothers, La MaMa, Mandees (still in business!), the West End, Bernard Telsey, Crazy Dreams (Carrie Underwood song), Bebe Neuwirth,Smashlash:Hillary Busis-Entertainment Weekly https://ew.com/recap/smash-season-1-episode-8/Under 5 of the Week AND Least Problematic Man of the Week: Judge Davenport (David Lipman)What Would Tarana Burke Say?“Inherently, having privilege isn’t bad, but it’s how you use it, and you have to use it in service of other people.”https://tinyurl.com/TaranaBurkeGuardian@TaranaBurkeMusical Numbers:Three Little Birds written by Bob MarleyDance to the Music written by Sly StoneTouch Me written by Bonnie McKee, Noel Zancanella, Ryan Tedder, Brent KutzleSmash was created by Theresa RebeckTina is @nice_white_ladyRuth is @yellow_fairy19We are @talkinsmashwww.talkinsmash.com

We discuss Bernadette Peters as the retconned version of Ivy’s mother, Karen Cartwright’s demo, Ellis is Amazing Amy, Megan Hilty is a really good actor, time management the day before the workshop, Tina loves Wesley Taylor and will tell you that, Unexpected fun pairings on Smash, we want to work for Eileen, but she needs to work on her racism, how old is Leo supposed to be again?, should Karen have bailed on the workshop?, the zone of being the lead vs. being in the ensemble,

The Workshop Directed by Mimi LederWritten by Jason Grote

Pop culture references: On the Basis of Sex, Deep Impact, Haley Joel Osment, Pay it Forward, M. Night Shymalan, Ava DuVernay, A Wrinkle in Time, #NotALabRat, Hamilton, Mean Girls the Musical, A Chorus Line, Kelly Bishop, Gillian Anderson, All About Eve, Ivan van Hove, A Streetcar Named Desire, Angels in America, The Play that Goes Wrong, The Front Page, John Slattery, John Goodman, Ben Hecht, His Girl Friday, Gone Girl, Tommy Motola, Bruno Mars, G*psy, Tony Awards, Storm Reid, Some Like it Hot, Fran Drescher, How the Irish Became White, Prednisone, Sex & the City, Jenny LaRoche, True West, Ciara, Future, Slings & Arrows, Rachel McAdams, Luke Kirby, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Take This Waltz, Sarah Polley, Lenny Bruce, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Stage Door, Katharine Hepburn, Alyssa Milano

Songs:Brighter Than the Sun by Colbie Caillat and Ryan TedderLexington & 52nd Street by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

Smashlash: Ken Tucker for Entertainment Weekly: https://www.google.com/amp/s/ew.com/bernadette-peters-workshop/amp/article/2012/03/19/smash-Noel Murray for A.V. Club:https://www.google.com/amp/s/tv.avclub.com/smash-the-workshop-1798172037/ampHillary Busis for Entertainment Weekly: https://www.google.com/amp/s/ew.com/recap/smash-season-1-episode-7/amp/

Under 5 of the Week: Mason (Hunter Gallagher)

Least Problematic Man of the Week: Sam (Leslie Odom, Jr.)

What Would Tarana Burke Say?“I don’t think that every single case of sexual harassment has to result in someone being fired; the consequences should vary. But we need a shift in culture so that every single instance of sexual harassment is investigated and dealt with. That’s just basic common sense.”https://tinyurl.com/TaranaBurkeGuardian@taranaburke@MeTooMVMT

Smash was created by Theresa Rebeck

Tina is @nice_white_ladyRuth is @yellow_fairy19

We are @talkinsmashwww.talkinsmash.com