The new hour-long NBC drama Debra Messing has signed on to will — surprise, surprise — have her starring opposite a gay character. Only Smash one won’t be an uptight white collar attorney: Messing’s Julia will play a Broadway lyricist tasked with bringing a Marilyn Monroe=like musical to the stage, with gay composer Tom playing the foil. So far it’s just in the pilot stage, though with Steven Spielberg producing, it’s already got a leg up. Picture lots of big theatrical numbers, like Glee, but even more diva-y. (Okay, don’t tell anyone, but I’m cautiously thrilled to see where this goes.)
RomanHans
Now, class, can you find the three errors in this post? I think you can.
redball
Me too, JD! This could be HOTT
SpiffyShindigs
Other than it’s Debra Messing and a gay guy, this sounds nothing like Will and Grace. This is an hour-long drama and W&G was a classic half-hour multi-camera sitcom.
redball
@RomanHans:
1. I’d’ve put a comma after “Only” in “Only Smash…won’t be.”
2. Typo: “one” shouldn’t be there, after “Only Smash….”
3. I’d hyphenate “white collar.”
4. “Marilyn Monroe=like”? 🙂
5. Comma after “So far.”
Maybe others I missed….
Can I get a gold star, Mr. Hans? Mommy would be so proud.
kayla
I was just a wee lass, but I have to say Will & Grace was total crap….just my opinion, based on the reruns that I have seen on Lifetime….Jack and the drunk lady were the only funny ones….
Jonathan
I love her!
justiceontherocks
@kayla: If you had been older you wouldn’t have liked it any better. If you were a gay man you’d despise Jack because he was a despicable stereotype who reinforced every negative stereotype you can think of.
As for Ms. Messing, the only worse actor I’ve seen on TV was Mr. Edm
kayla
@justiceontherocks: Can you tell me what the drunk lady’s name is please!
redball
@kayla: It’s ________(Karen?) Mulally. Or something. *shrug* I could google it but….
How old are you, Kayla? I’m getting a 15 or 16-year-old-ish vibe; not sure why. Maybe I saw you post something once about your older brother…. That’s great to have young girls on here with us!
kayla
@redball: oh my gosh, I’m writing like a teenager…? I’m 21…..what a sad assessment!
redball
@kayla: LOL!! I guess it’s b/c you have the exuberance of a teen (a good thing in my book!). But, as I think more about it, you have a vocabulary and overall writing style that I’d guess is more sophisticated than your average teen. 🙂
porter
@justiceontherocks: Will & Grace is an easy target. It was pretty ground breaking and had at least 4 fantastic seasons IMHO….it did, however, have a few seasons that did NOT work so I’m with you there:)
Jeffree
I never thought Debra Messing was a very good actor (her comic timing was all kinds of wrong & she seriously overacted) but Megan Mullaly (sp?) as Karen Walker was great. Shelly Morrison as the maid Rosario was very good too.
I hope Messing gets a chance to play a different kind of character; but I bet Spielberg wouldn’t have picked her unless she could play the part.
Will & Grace helped a lot of people in my parents’ generation to see gay men as fully human. I think that the sterotypes were overdone, but it was trail-setting in a lot of ways, for its time.
@Kayla, I wish we had more people like you in the world and here on the site. You do bring a lot of enthusiasm & also a perspective we don’t see that often. Glad to have a fierce str8 ally here, and a francophone as well!
justiceontherocks
@porter: It was in concept and execution an insulting minstrel show, groundbreaking in all the wrong ways.
“Soap” was groundbreaking.
berto
For fuck sake people it was a stupid TV show. It was funny and forgettable. Why does everythign have to uplift, educate or promote? Calm the fuck down, lighten up and get over yourselves.
porter
@justiceontherocks: Well, I guess we disagree.
Tomcat
Megan Mullally played Karen on Will and Grace (which is the ‘drunk lady’ you guys are referring to).
Megan made that show, hands down. Of the era of Patsy Stone-esque boozehounds, her only competition is Wendie Malick; ‘Just Shoot Me’s Nina Van Horn.
As for Debra Messing, honestly I could take her or leave her. Definately a case of taking the good with the bad, as noted above.
We should all spare a thought for Eric McCormack though, pretty sure he hasn’t landed steady work since Will & Grace. I mean I kind of get it, but he did a noble job of portraying a normal (if not a little neurotic) gay man during a christian heavy new millenium.