The Civil Wars keep things pure, simple

For the last few weeks I’ve been hooked. I’ve been hooked on The Civil Wars, and I’m not talking history here.

The Civil Wars — a country-folk duo who got their start at a Nashville song writing session in 2008 — have gained significant recognition over the last year. The band’s easy-going sound combines hints of country twang with low-key folk vibes and the mix has created a killer debut album, which was released in February of last year.

The album — entitled “Barton Hollow” — was included on a number of “Best Of” lists at the end of 2011, and this is what led me to first take note of them. Critics were raving about the duo, describing how great their original sound and superb song-writing skills were.

The album then led the duo — Joy Williams and John Paul White — to the Grammys one year after the album’s release where they took home Best Country Duo/Group Performance, and Best Folk Album. Go figure — even the Grammy board couldn’t decide what genre they belonged in, which, in turn, reiterates how original-sounding The Civil Wars really are.

What pushed me to eventually check the duo out was their performance at the same Grammys show. They were invited to perform ahead of well-known-Wars-supporter Taylor Swift, giving the world a brief snippet of their hit single, also named “Barton Hollow.”

The single is powerful and gritty, yet beautiful all the same. It’s the most upbeat song on their album, but it still manages to tell a story.

Aside from the hit single, The Civil Wars keep things fairly simple on their debut album. There is no background music to overcome the purity of their sound. It’s just Williams and White, singing, strumming and harmonizing along in bare-bone performances that create for an intimate setting.

The entire album’s concept seems to be based on conflicts between marriage, or any partnership for that matter. Songs such as “Poison & Wine” and “Birds of a Feather” really sound off on the theme. On “Feather” Williams and White sing their yearnings, if you will, separately and then come in together to join forces on the fact that despite their trouble, each couldn’t live without the other: “Where she walks no flowers bloom / He’s the one I see right through / She’s the absinth on my lips / Splinter in my finger tips / But who could do without you.”

Other notable tracks include the more country-sounding “Forger Me Not,” along with haunting opener “20 Years,” finger-snapping “I’ve Got This Friend,” and a beautiful piano, guitar instrumental with hints of violin called “The Violet Hour.” I could listen to it for hours.

After The Civil Wars’ Grammy performance, I think both the duo — and myself — knew they were going to be the next big thing. And you’d have to be to get invited to perform on the soundtrack to the biggest movie of 2012 so far, “The Hunger Games.”

Released last month, the album contains two songs by the duo. The first, pairing with Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars perform a wistful song called “Safe and Sound” that acts as the film’s main course of music. The second is more of a conscience-driven song called “Kingdom Come.” The song seems to place us in the mind of the film’s female protagonist, who must fight for her life, jumping from the frantic — “Run, run, run and hide / Somewhere no one else can find / Tall trees bend and lean, pointing where to go” — to the comforting — “Don’t you fret my dear / It’ll all be over soon / I’ll be waiting here for you.”

And with that, we’ll be waiting here for them too, waiting to see what else The Civil Wars will come up with next. I don’t see them running away anytime soon.

Amid viewers' woes ‘Killing’ set to continue

When AMC’s detective thriller “The Killing” returns tomorrow at 8 p.m. for a two-hour premier, three things are guaranteed to happen: One, it’ll still be raining in the drab Seattle landscape. Two, Detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) will have gotten off a plane that would be on its way to sunny California where her fiancé would be waiting for her (an exhaustive storyline throughout last season). And three, we still won’t know the answer to the question that framed the first season: “Who Killed Rosie Larson?”

To the chagrin of many critics — and Twitter followers — the creators of “The Killing” left us with more questions than answers as the first season came to an end. Many, many — did I say many? — people were upset and a huge backlash ensued. Some vowed to never watch the series again. And I still cannot fathom why.

The major point that sparked the so-called controversy was a particular cliffhanger where we find that Detective Linden has been betrayed by her partner Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnamen) after he presented her with false evidence to convict Councilman Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell). At the last minute, we see Holder speaking with an unknown collaborator, revealing that the Councilman, although suspicious, probably had nothing to do with Rosie’s murder. In turn, this put the Councilman in a predicament, as we last saw him with the barrel of a gun in his face after Larson family friend Belko went to avenge Rosie’s death.

I thought it was a great way to leave things. It was a classic cliffhanger that left me pining for season two. That’s what television is for, isn’t it? — to snatch up your attention and leave you wanting more?

I guess I was in the minority. Apparently, viewers were so caught up in the whodunit that they couldn’t appreciate great storytelling. Because that is what “The Killing” is all about — telling the story behind the murder, not just revealing who did it as quickly as possible. We want to know the why, not just the who.

A common theme among AMC’s dramas (“The Walking Dead,” “Mad Men” — to name a couple) is that the creators do a great job at keeping our attention by providing passionate characters within their scripts, along with passionate actors to portray those characters — no matter how bizarre the character may be made out to be (Bryan Cranston’s Walter White from “Breaking Bad” is a perfect example).

With “The Killing,” rather than simply working the case week to week, the show focuses on the people surrounding the case — parents, the city, school teachers, and even the detectives themselves. There are so many characters surrounding the case, and yet they all stand out as individuals and not as just another suspect to be checked off the list. We see the emotional obstacle course each person goes through in order to cope with what has happened, and we remember them because each character is unique and played with such passionate force.

The creators of “The Killing” also know how to pace the show. It’s well done in the sense that the creators have given us one 24-hour day of the case per episode, making for 12 consecutive days of the case to match with 12 weekly episodes — I hope they continue this tactic for the upcoming season. There is no passage of time, therefore we are seeing what everyone else is seeing — which makes us view everyone as a suspect.

Unfortunately, at this point, the question of “Who Killed Rosie Larson?” seems to be on the back burner. “Will viewers return, despite not getting what they wanted in the finale?” is the ultimate question. We’ll just have to wait and see on both accounts, as both creators and critics — never have all the answers.

'Mad Men' returns after long hiatus

AMC — it’s the network to beat these days. Just ask the creators of “The Walking Dead” whose recent finale took in a record-breaking 9 million viewers. But as much as we don’t want to see the walkers go, it’s time to put the zombie season behind us and get back to the show that put AMC on the map in the first place: “Mad Men.”

After a 17-month hiatus (due to contract negotiations and scheduling conflicts) the ad agency that is Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is back and ready for a whole new year. We last left Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and company at the end of 1965, but the two-hour premier tomorrow night skips ahead six months to May 1966 — the dawn of the Civil Rights movement. Times they are a changin’, we can see that, but the question is: How do the times affect our beloved characters?

Now in its fifth season, “Mad Men” has established quite a basis for its characters. At the end of season four, though, those characters were given another layer of depth, and then some. We may not like what we see anymore, and it will be season five’s job to manage a balance between what we fell in love with over the years with where these characters are headed in the future. Here’s where we left off:

Don — Last we left our favorite playboy he had proposed to his twenty-something secretary, Megan, to fill a lonely void that took over his life in season four. Megan is half Don’s age and twice as spunky as Don’s ex-wife Betty (January Jones). She brings life to the table, and as a twenty-something in the ’60s, I’m sure she’s not done having fun in her life despite the proposal. Perhaps we’ll see that fun personality transfer over to Don and loosen him up a bit — that is if the two are even still together. Knowing Don, he simply could have called the whole thing off.

Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) — The young gun who’s always looking to climb the ladder at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce had just announced that he and his wife Trudy would be having a baby last season. This year I’m sure we’ll see how that new responsibility affects his work life — both his drive for clients and especially his relationship with copywriter Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), with whom he once had an affair with and got pregnant, leading her to give the baby up for adoption.

Peggy — At the conclusion of last season, Peggy took a big step forward by single-handily saving Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce from a serious drought in cash flow — after the agency’s biggest client Lucky Strike took their business elsewhere — when she signed a panty-hose account. A big deal for sure, but unfortunately Don’s engagement announcement over-shadowed her news. In this season, it seems Peggy could have a new understudy in Megan, relinquishing her role as sole female copywriter and giving Peggy a run for her money just as she’s finally felt what success feels like.

Joan (Christina Hendricks) — Bombshell secretary, or newly appointed Director of Agency Operations at the agency, Joan was in the midst of deciding whether to keep her pregnancy, knowing well-enough that it wasn’t her husband Greg’s baby — as he is serving overseas. The baby, as we know, is from her go-to-guy Roger Sterling (John Slattery), with whom she had always had a long-term affair with before she was married, but happened to make another return to once her hubby was bound for Vietnam. Last we saw she was leaving the abortion clinic, having decided to not ‘take care of it’ as she told Roger.

Will she have a baby in season five? And what will that do to her career at Sterling Draper Cooper Pryce? After all, it is the ’60s, and not many women held both a career and a family life back then. The big question is, will she tell Greg that it’s not his?

Betty — Don’s ex-wife was last seen firing her children’s long-time nanny Carla, and packing up her family’s things — along with newbie husband Henry — to move into a new house for a fresh start to things. Daughter Sally had been acting out quite a bit, and we’ll see if the move did anything to help, or whether son Bobby will follow in her sister’s footsteps. The question with Betty is, despite her new house and husband, will she truly be better off, or will she still be the same cruel, woman we’ve all come to have a love-hate relationship with?

Only time will tell, and luckily we don’t have to wait much longer to find out. The good news is under the new contract negotiations signed by creator Matthew Weiner another two seasons were agreed upon, so at least we know we have a few more years of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce antics to come. Until then, let’s enjoy 1966 while it’s (finally) here.

Van Halen's still got it

It was an interesting experience, and an epic one — all at the same time. At 25 years young, I had the chance to hear Eddie Van Halen shred the guitar like no other. I had the chance to see David Lee Roth perform his heart out, complete with high kicks and plenty of splits. And at the same time, I had the chance to see “Celebration,” “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies’ Night” performed by Kool and the Gang. Really? Yes, really.

Sunday night I got the news that my dad had scored tickets to the Van Halen show at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., on Tuesday night. Having been “brought up” by my dad on such music as Van Halen I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. And despite it being N.H. Town Meeting Day — a crazy night in the newsroom world — my very kind and thoughtful editor knew I couldn’t pass up that opportunity either, and I was free from the hustle and bustle of the newsroom to go rock out with the best of them.

Well, that is after openers Kool and the Gang took to the stage.

To me it seemed like an odd pairing. Don’t get me wrong. I respect all music, and I respect Kool and the Gang as musicians. I just never in my life expected to see them open for an 70s rock band. And never did I expect to hear wedding staple “Celebration” performed live and in concert.

Despite my notions, the majority of the audience boogied the night away, and it was fun to see adults a few decades my senior let loose. And when an Ohio couple who showed up late uttered their disappointment in missing the Gang perform, I couldn’t help but laugh it off. This Gang must have created some lasting memories at some point, and the audience was all about bringing those memories back.

That was my mildly interesting experience. Then came the epic experience: Van friggin’ Halen.

The Van Halen boys (Alex on drums, Eddie on guitar and Wolfgang on bass) along with singer David Lee Roth took to the stage around 9 p.m. And I must say, they kept things fairly simple. No pyro. No rising platforms. A few strobe-light moments. And only one mishap — a fight down on the floor between two biker-clad women, to which David Lee Roth stopped the show completely and told them off. Aside from that, Van Halen kept things fairly intimate in a way — a simple backdrop mish-mashing current concert footage with footage from earlier years played behind the band throughout the night. It was all very classy for the rock stars.

The four-piece opened the show with “Unchained” off their 1981 album “Fair Warning.” Following through with 23 more songs — including major classics such as “Panama,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Runnin’ With the Devil,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” The Kinks “You Really Got Me” and John Brim’s “Ice Cream Man” — the band played what seemed like a very quick hour-and-a-half show.

To close out the rockin’ show, Van Halen performed everyone’s favorite — “Jump.” Rather than jumping around on stage as David Lee Roth does so in the classic video, he decided instead to bring out a giant black and white checkered flag and run around the stage with it as confetti rained down. Random? Sure. But I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Saddled in between those and a few songs off their newest album “A Different Kind of Truth” a couple solo performances from Alex and Eddie made for an intense night. Eddie’s 10-minute solo really showed off his insane skills and it proved that he, along with Van Halen still got it.

Best buds face off in top Oscar acting categories

Viola versus Meryl. George versus Brad. It’s the battle of the best buds in this year’s top acting categories at the Academy Awards, airing tomorrow night. Who will trump the other? Let's break it down and see where these fine actors stand.

LADIES FIRST

How Viola knows Meryl: Both starred in the 2008 film “Doubt,” which earned each of them numerous award nominations. But before that, Streep was always an idol of Davis’. These days, Streep doesn’t simply recognize Davis as a fan, but as an equal. Both admire each other and their craft, so much that throughout this award season the ladies have each given shout outs to the other in acceptance speeches, and fawned over the other’s ability.

Viola Davis
Age: 46

2012 nominated role: Davis plays Aibileen Clark, the central character of “The Help.” Clark is a black maid in Mississippi during the1960s, who decides to work with an up-and-coming journalist to tell her story — along with many other maids to follow — to the world.

Previous experience: Davis is known primarily for her acting chops on the stage, but she has also had parts in such films as “Doubt,” “Antwone Fisher” and “Traffic.”

Previous award recognition: Davis has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for her role in “Doubt.” She also has been nominated three times for a Tony, and won two of those.

So far this year: Davis was nominated for all three of the big awards this year: Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG award. She took home the SAG award, but lost the Globe to Streep.

Meryl Steep
Age: 62

2012 nominated role: Streep takes on the task of portraying the longest serving Prime Minister of the U.K., Margaret Thatcher, in “The Iron Lady.”

Previous experience: Streep is received as one of the most respected actresses of her generation. She has been in over 50 films including “The Deer Hunter,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “Mamma Mia!” and “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Previous award recognition: Streep has a record-breaking 17 Academy Award nominations and 26 Golden Globe nominations. Of those, she has won two Academy Awards for her roles in 1979’s “Kramer vs. Kramer” and 1982’s “Sophie’s Choice.” She has won eight of her Golden Globe nominations.

Streep has also won two Emmys, two SAG awards, five Grammys, one Tony, and the coveted AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004, to say the least.

So far this year: Streep has been nominated, just as Davis, for all three of the big awards. She is tied with Davis, 1-1, having taken the win at the Golden Globes.

Who will come out on top: This is a tough call. Both women transformed themselves greatly for their roles. Davis put on 25 pounds to play Aibileen, while Streep donned quite a bit of prosthetics and a fake set of teeth to encompass the iron lady.

While Streep may have the better acting chops here, I think the Academy is going to favor Davis, simply because “The Help” was a movie people actually saw. It grossed $206 million at the box office, while only $60 million was made from “The Iron Lady.” Critics, alike, also have said that Steep was the only good part of “The Iron Lady,” while the entire cast of “The Help” is what made it such a superb overall film.

MEN WILL BE MEN

How George knows Brad: Aside from both men being named People’s “Sexiest Man Alive,” — twice — the two hunky heartthrobs first starred together in 2001’s “Ocean’s Eleven” remake. This followed by two more Ocean’s movies in 2004 and 2007, respectively. To mix things up, Clooney and Pitt starred in another film together in 2008, the Coen brother’s “Burn After Reading,” that showcased the kookie side of both of them.

As Streep and Davis offer overwhelming praise for each other at this year’s award ceremonies, Clooney and Pitt have been giving each other little jabs — all respectful, of course — while at the podium. For instance, at this year’s Golden Globes, Pitt showed up with a cane after tearing his ACL. To poke fun while Clooney introduced Pitt's “Moneyball” — a Best Picture nominee — Clooney walked on stage with Pitt’s cane, stating “I have to give it back to him or he can't make it to the bar otherwise.”

George Clooney
Age: 50

2012 nominated role: Clooney portrays Matt King in Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants.” King tries to reconnect with his daughters after he find out that his wife — currently in a coma from a boating accident — has been cheating on him.

Previous experience: Clooney first started out on television with a successful run on “E.R.” He quickly made the jump to the big screen with such films as “Out of Sight” and “From Dusk till Dawn” to “The Perfect Storm” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Clooney has also stepped in the director’s chair on numerous occasions, first with 2002’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” followed by three others — the most recent being “The Ides of March,” in which he also starred.

Previous award recognition: Clooney has been nominated seven times for an Academy Award, winning one of those for 2005’s “Syriana.” He also has nine Golden Globe nominations, with three of those being wins, and four SAG awards under his belt.

So far this year: Clooney has won great acclaim for his role, yet — of the big three — he has only picked up the Golden Globe win.

Brad Pitt
Age: 48

2012 nominated role: Pitt brought to life the general manager of the Oakland A’s — Billy Beane — who decided to take baseball to a whole other level by drafting players by a computer-generated analysis, rather than by the typical notions.

Previous experience: As with Clooney, Pitt also started out on TV. He quickly gained fame from a standout role in 1991‘s “Thelma & Louise.” Following, he starred in a slew of films that showcased his wide range and depth, including “Interview with the Vampire,” “Seven,” “Fight Club” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Previous award recognition: Pitt has been nominated for three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, five SAG awards and one Emmy for a one-episode role on “Friends.”
Yet, just as with Clooney, despite the many nominations, he has only taken home one solo award — that being a Golden Globe for “12 Monkeys.” He also was part of the “Inglourious Basterds” cast win in 2009 at the SAG awards.

So far this year: No wins for Pitt, as of yet.

Who will come out on top: Unfortunately, Pitt isn’t Clooney’s toughest competition in the Best Actor race. That honor goes to Jean Dujardin of “The Artist.” Unlike the Golden Globes, where Best Actors are separated into Comedy and Drama categories, the Academy doesn’t divvy up its categories, leaving Clooney and Dujardin to be pit (see what I did there) against each other.

"Moneyball" did well in theaters, and just as good when it was released on DVD, but, sorry to say, Pitt doesn’t have a chance really. So it looks like Clooney takes the cake here even if he loses to Dujardin in the end. But hey, at least Pitt had the pleasure of being in good company with his buddy Clooney. It’s made for an amusing awards season, and showed us just how great a true bromance can really be.

Grammys triumph, tradegy

There are always going to be ups and downs when it comes to the Grammys — especially when it comes to the performances. But this year there was one particular up and one particular down that loomed over the entire show.

The down being the death of diva Whitney Houston the night before. As host LL Cool J opened the show with a prayer, he reminded the audience that “this night is about the music,” and that despite the devastating event that occurred so close to home, the show will go on. With shout outs from Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Rhianna, among others, and an emotional performance of “I Will Always Love You,” by powerhouse singer Jennifer Hudson, Whitney’s memory was not forgotten throughout the entire night.

On the up side was the force that is Adele. Her accomplishments throughout the night included taking home six awards (tying with Beyonce for the most wins in one night by a female artist); joining the ranks of such performers as Paul Simon, Eric Clapton and the Dixie Chicks in having won the three biggest awards in one night (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, respectively); and performing the hit that started it all, “Rolling in the Deep,” after having recently recovered from throat surgery. She put on the most powerful and real performance of the night, that garnered her a lasting — and well-deserved — standing ovation. The girl’s got pipes — and a presence — that can’t be ignored, and the Grammys made sure of that.

Aside from the above — in terms of the actual awards given out — the Foo Fighters added another Best Rock Album Grammy to their trophy case, accomplishing the feat of winning seven Best Rock Albums for each of their seven albums. During the night, the band also took home four others including Best Rock Song for “Walk.”

Also, no-show Kanye West garnered four awards, and Bon Iver took home two including the coveted Best New Artist Grammy.

But we all know the Grammys aren’t all about the awards — only nine were actually given out on air. The Grammys are all about the three-and-a-half hours of performances, which this year made for a somewhat sluggish show. Only a select few really held my attention. Here’s who and why.

Katy Perry — Starting off with Kanye-collaborated hit “E.T.”, Perry emerged in full force. Quickly switching gears, she poured her heart out on stage in what sounded like a big F-you to ex-husband Russell Brand with “Part of Me.”

It was a very strong performance — filled with a lot of angst — but one that showed true emotion. Bravo to Katy for putting away the girly, Candyland-like set pieces and bringing out a warrior-like performance that showed us just exactly how she was feeling.

The Band Perry, Blake Shelton and Glen Campbell — The legendary Campbell — soon to be retired due to Alzheimer’s — joined The Band Perry and Shelton in a fitting tribute to himself, with performances of “Gentle on My Mind,” “Southern Nights” and, of course, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” It was all very touching, and all three acts sounded simply superb.

Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt — The soul songstress and country superstar payed tribute to the late great Etta James with a stripped-down rendition of “I Want A Sunday Kind of Love.” Keys and Raitt kept it short and sweet, but it had quite a beautiful, lasting impression.

The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift — The folk duo The Civil Wars have had a pretty good year. Their debut album “Baton Harlow” made it onto many a year-end lists, and at the Grammys they managed to take home a few wins as well, including the award for Best Country Duo and Best Folk Album. Thankfully, they were able to show off the skills that helped them win all the recent praise with a short performance as the “opener” to Swift. It may have only been for a minute, but it deserved so much more.

Swift followed suit with a performance of “Mean” — in which she rocked the banjo and seemed to be having the most fun of any of the performers on stage. It wasn’t elaborately choreographed, or filled with intense light shows, but it was — despite her tendencies to cross over
the pop line — a fun, country performance.

The Beach Boys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People — Adam Levine and Mark Foster’s voices were made for Beach Boys’ songs. Performing with their respective groups — Maroon 5 and newbies Foster the People — Levine sang a sweet “Little Surfer Girl,” while Foster tackled “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Both groups seemed to be having fun with it, and after joined the legendary group on stage for a performance of “Good Vibrations.”

Despite the fatigue-sounding vocals of the Beach Boys, the group — reuniting for a 50th anniversary performance — had the audience dancing and singing along just fine. I was hoping for a bit more — as I’ve seen them live and they are truly a lot of fun — but I give them credit for managing to get Brian Wilson and Mike Love on the same stage one last time.

Paul McCartney — He performed an acoustic “My Valentine” during the middle of the show off his newest “Kisses on the Bottom” album, which was simple and sweet. But McCartney came back with a vengeance as the closing act, along with Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and the Eagles’ Joe Walsh for a guitar-filled rendition of the Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers/Carry Your Weight.” It was fun to see so many talented rock musicians all on the same stage, and it was a great way to close out a somewhat-dull show overall.

'Smash' works on a number of levels

“Smash.” If you’ve been watching any network television at all, it’s the only show you’ve been hearing about for the last two months. Following the Super Bowl and the premier of the second season of “The Voice,” “Smash” made its debut Monday night on NBC. And so, despite my assumption that the show would simply be another “Glee,” I caved and decided to see what all the fuss was about. (Looks like NBC’s advertising ploy worked on at least one person.) And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

“Smash” — produced by the one-and-only Steven Spielberg — follows Karen Cartwright (“American Idol’s” season five runner-up, Katherine McPhee), a 24-year-old from Iowa who is trying to make it in the big city as a Broadway star. After much rejection, she finds herself auditioning among a group of look-alike Marilyn Monroe’s for the lead in a soon-to-be hit new musical from the likes of acclaimed songwriting duo Julia (“Will and Grace’s” Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borie). A brunette with little sex appeal, Karen’s voice captivates the panel, and she soon finds herself pit up against blond bombshell, Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), a triple threat who seems to have it all, including the drive and desire to break away as the next big star. With two completely different personalities, it’s all up to the girls to woo the likes of Julia, Tom, producer Eileen (Angelica Houston) and egotistical director, Derek (“Pirates of the Caribbean’s” Jack Davenport).

What makes “Smash” so magical is the realism of it all (that, and the beautiful production quality, courtesy of Spielberg, I’m sure). With “Smash” we are shown the inner workings of putting on a successful Broadway musical, from start to finish, with all the key players and with all the backstage drama that comes with the territory. “Smash” shows us that it’s not as easy as it looks, especially when you’re trying to balance a home life, as is with Julia and her husband, who are looking to adopt a child, despite Julia’s reluctancy to turn down any new work project. The writers have successfully made us care about the characters from one episode and they make it easy for the audience to connect to them.

Many of the actors on “Smash” have been on Broadway and have plenty of experience, including Hilty, who was in acclaimed hits “Wicked” and “9 to 5: The Musical.” But if this bares anything about where the story line of the show will go, the real standout is newcomer McPhee. Despite her only previous major acting credit being the comedy “The House Bunny,” McPhee holds her own among a cast of veteran actors. She really gives us her all in “Smash,” and she has such a presence, just as she did on the “American Idol” stage back in 2006. Her voice is gorgeous, as in when she sings “Over the Rainbow” and “Beautiful” in the premier, and she simply has the “star quality” that could take her to the next level.

It’s a musical drama that seamlessly interweaves the two genres. The pacing of the story line is dead on — we don’t get bored as we get to know the characters — and “Smash” manages to transition to musical numbers effortlessly. Everything just fits — even the baseball number. Nothing is random — there aren’t any kids busting into song in the hallways of their school. It’s just solid, fun, entertainment that works. As Monroe would say, “Smash” just wants to be loved by you, and I suggest you give it a shot.