On the NBC musical drama series Smash, Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) have aligned as frenemies, but their newly formed friendship will soon be put to the test when the Marilyn Monroe musical moves to Boston for its first out-of-town performance in front of a real audience.  While the big lingering question is, “Will Bombshell be a smash?,” Karen and Ivy will be experiencing as much drama off stage as on.

During this recent interview to promote the show, co-stars Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty talked about what they like and don’t like about their characters, whether or not they think Karen and Ivy can maintain their newfound friendship, how long movie star Uma Thurman will be sticking around, how fans respond to the show and their characters, the reaction from the Broadway community, that this season will end on multiple cliffhangers, and how they expect to resume shooting for Season 2 in mid-July.  Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Look out Glee! NBC’s gamble on their more mature, and far superior musical series Smash from producer Steven Spielberg seems to have paid off. The network has just revealed that the Broadway centric drama series has been given an order for a second season as it’s currently NBC’s top drama amongst the all-important 18-49 demographic. With Glee waning in its presentation nearly every single episode, I’ve found myself absolutely enthralled with this new series, currently focusing on the development of a Marilyn Monroe based musical and a great competition between Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty for stardom.

While the cover songs in the series may not be as fun or catchy as those on Glee, it’s the original songs from the musical in progress that really keep my attention. Frankly, I couldn’t be more excited to hear that NBC is sticking with the series for at least one more season and I can’t wait to see where it goes. Now if we could only get some more attention to NBC’s other mind-blowing drama Awake, then I’d be the happiest viewer in all the land. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Sometimes it’s not enough to collect the comics and play with the toys; sometimes you just want to smell like your favorite superhero. Luckily, JADS has the answer! Coinciding with the release of The Avengers this year, the cologne and perfume company is releasing a line of superheroic scents. Do you want to smell like a billionaire playboy who dons a suit of armor to battle villains? Try Iron Man-inspired Mark VII cologne, with hints of  jasmine, light patchouli and mandarin (ha!). Fancy yourself the irritable, quick-to-anger type? Try SMASH! cologne, a Hulk inspired scent that, for some reason, incorporates water lily and nutmeg. If you’re hurting for Valentine’s Day gift ideas for the nerd in your life, you could probably do worse. Hit the jump to check out the whole line of The Avengers scents.

The NBC musical drama Smash celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of Broadway theater, as told through a group of individuals, all following their dreams. Centering on the process of creating a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing), the series illustrates the rivalry that forms between youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty Karen (Katharine McPhee) and stage veteran Ivy Bell (Megan Hilty), both vying for the coveted lead role. When you add in a tenacious producer (Anjelica Huston) and brilliant director (Jack Davenport), there is sure to be a season’s worth of high drama with some great songs thrown in.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, acclaimed playwright Theresa Rebeck, who is also the show creator and an executive producer and writer, talked about the evolution of Smash, how this is a show about the universal idea of following your dreams, assembling this incredibly talent cast of actors, the process for determining which songs to include in each episode, and how this season will end with the out-of-town try-out for the musical, with Season 2 (if there is one) being about whether the show makes it to Broadway. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

NBC is looking to siphon off the success of FOX’s hit, Glee, by including some famous guest stars in their new musical drama, Smash. Having recently released a promising trailer, the series from executive producer Steven Spielberg will follow Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) along her journey from Iowa to Broadway. Though the show already supports a strong cast in Debra Messing, Christian Borle and Anjelica Huston, Smash is going to need some star power: that’s where Uma Thurman comes in. Thurman will be featured in a five-episode arc as a famous, but pretentious, movie star who competes for the starring role in “Marilyn,” the featured musical of Smash’s plot. Hit the jump for the press release.

Yes that headline is meant to be literal as series star Katharine McPhee belts out a cover of Christina Aguilera’s hit song Beautiful, but honestly, the trailer for Smash is actually quite a solid presentation of a show that looks like it’s going to be much more than Glee for adults. From executive producer Steven Spielberg, the series follows Karen Cartwright (McPhee), a young girl from Iowa with a dream of making it on Broadway. While a veteran of the stage seems like an obvious choice to take the lead role in a new musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, a songwriting team (Debra Messing and Christian Borle) and their tenacious producer (Anjelica Huston) just might see something in Cartwright and kick off a new chapter in all of their lives. Watch the music video style trailer for Smash after the jump.

NBC has released their midseason schedule, and there’ve been quite a few shakeups. The much-derided Whitney moves to Wednesdays, Up All Night will settle in as part of the Thursday night comedy line-up, and gone is the Maria Bello-starred cop drama Prime Suspect. It appears that NBC has finally given up on the drama series, which has been struggling ratings-wise for quite a while. My biggest complaint, though, is the complete absence of Community. The show, which is one of the smartest and best shows on television right now, is nowhere to be seen on the schedule. While the series hasn’t exactly been a ratings juggernaut, it’s captured the hearts of critics and fans alike as one of the most innovative (and at times rather strange) comedies to grace our TV screens. Hit the jump for much more.

Prior to the NBC presentation at the TCA Press Tour, the networks new Chairman of Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt gave a glimpse of what he sees in the future of what is currently the fourth place network. Here are the most interesting points:

• NBC has made development deals with both executive producer/writer/director Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks & Recreation) and Gary Sanchez Productions (the production company of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell).
• Sean Hayes will be stepping back in front of the camera for an NBC comedy in 2012, while a one-hour drama about firefighters is being developed with Dick Wolf (Law & Order).
• The hit singing competition The Voice will return on February 5^th, following the Super Bowl, and the mid-season musical drama Smash, from executive producer Steven Spielberg, will premiere on February 6^th
• Greenblatt was not surprised by the controversy caused by The Playboy Club, as the brand name can be polarizing for people.
• NBC is hoping to under-expect but over-deliver on the upcoming season of The Office, with all of the changes and the addition of James Spader to the cast.
• The Office is important to the network, but they are approaching it with realistic expectations while the writers work to refocus what the show will now be.
• The goal is to expand comedy to more nights than just Thursday, and make multi-camera comedy shows popular again.

Hit the jump for a lot more:

We recently highlighted some clips from NBC’s forthcoming new dramas and comedies, but now the network has released the full length trailers for all of their new series as well. They’re about twice as long as most movie trailers, and they give us a pretty good idea of the tone and style behind each series. After the jump you can check out trailers for Prime Suspect with Maria Bello, The Playboy Club with Amber Heard, Steven Spielberg’s Broadway musical drama Smash, the fairytale drama Grimm, Kyle Killen’s Awake starring Jason Isaacs, Whitney featuring stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, Up All Night with Will Arnett and Christina Applegate, Free Agents with Hank Azaria, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea with Laura Prepon, and Bent with Amanda Peet.

Personally, on the drama side of things, I’m absolutely riveted by the trailer for Awake which just looks like a truly original and compelling drama series from Lone Star writer Kyle Killen. Smash also looks like it has the musical fun and powerful drama to become Glee for adults, but hopefully with a little bit more consistent quality writing. With the comedies, I think Up All Night looks the most promising. Whitney has the potential to gain steam, but it’s hard for me to get past laughtracks on sitcoms. Anyway, you can judge for yourself after checking out all the trailers after the jump.

NBC has released the first clips for all their new 2011-2012 dramas: Prime Suspect, The Playboy Club, Smash, Grimm, Awake, and The Firm.  Based on initial impressions, Awake is the one I am now most looking forward to.  The clips promise terrific entertainment for a structure geek like myself, splitting screen time between two realities.  The 1960s-set The Playboy Club and modern fairy tale Grimm both have interesting premises, but the clips look too silly out of context.  I hold out hope the subject matter makes for a better series.  Prime Suspect looks like a kickass role for star Maria Bello — pencil her in for an Emmy nomination.

Click through to the links for the official schedule announcement and the complementary clips for NBC’s new comedies.  Hit the jump for the preview clips and official synopses for all new dramas.

NBC has officially announced their schedule for 2011-2012.  The network ordered six new dramas (The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Grimm, The Firm, Smash, Awake) and six new sitcoms (Up All Night, Free Agents, Whitney, Best Friends Forever, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, Bent).

The network is programming Fridays fairly aggressively.  Chuck will air its fifth and final 13-episode season on Fridays, paired with the new fairy tale drama Grimm and Friday staple Dateline NBC.  NBC will hold 30 Rock for midseason to accommodate star/creator Tina Fey’s pregnancy.  The Thursday night sitcom block will be cut back to two hours with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Whitney leading into the Maria Bello-led Prime Suspect remake.

Click through to the links to watch preview clips for the new dramas and the new comedies.  Hit the jump to check out the new schedule.

After last night’s huge influx of news from Fox about series pick-ups, renewals and cancellations, it’s now NBC’s turn to announce some of their new series that we can look forward to in the fall. As of now there seems to be some dissension amongst the news outlets online as to whether or not Wonder Woman will actually get picked up, and other potential series like The Playboy Club are rumored for a pick-up but we haven’t heard anything official yet.

After the jump, check out the four new series that have definitely been picked up to premiere sometime this fall including a new sitcom from stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, another comedy from Christina Applegate, a Broadway musical series from producer Steven Spielberg, and the stateside remake of the British crime drama Prime Suspect.

Wonder Woman will not die.  David E. Kelly is a bizarre choice to run the show, and the networks seemed to realize this when they passed on Wonder Woman in unison.  But where there’s a will (and a deeply troubled network), there’s a way: NBC has picked up Kelley’s Wonder Woman reboot.  I hope to see a live-action Wonder Woman in my lifetime, but not like this.  Not like this at all.

This report comes among a flurry of pilot season news involving such talent as Steven Spielberg, Conan O’Brien, Ethan Hawke, Rob Thomas, Tim Kring, and more.  Hit the jump for a recap.