"Publicity" is the twelfth episode of the American television series, ''

Smash Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer A ...

''. The episode aired on April 23, 2012.

Plot

Derek ( Jack Davenport) tells Karen (

Katharine McPhee Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.'' Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...

) he wishes she was Marilyn; Ellis (Jaime Cepero) overhears and tells Rebecca's (

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

) assistant, Randall. Rebecca makes Karen her new best friend, taking her out to party and giving her expensive clothes. The tabloids declare Karen to be Rebecca's new lover, and Dev (

Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey (born 28 May 1973) is a British actor and singer, who starred as Neal Hudson on the CBS TV medical drama '' Code Black''. He is best known for playing Zafar Younis on the BBC One spy drama series '' Spooks''. In 2014, he played ...

) gets angry. When Karen takes Rebecca to dinner to meet Dev, Dev and Rebecca start arguing over which one is harmful to Karen. Julia (

Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as '' Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) a ...

) and Frank ( Brian d'Arcy James) can't find Leo (Emory Cohen), each thinking Leo is with the other. Eventually, Julia drags it out of Leo's friend, Mason (Hunter Gallagher), that Leo has been sleeping on Mason's floor in order to get away from the crisis at home. Julia and Frank are able to start mending the wounds from Julia's affair. Rebecca continues to vie for power in the company, leading to unprofessional behavior like arriving late and having the stage manager make her special smoothies; Derek is forced to retake control of his rehearsal room. Ellis and Ivy ( Megan Hilty) conspire to give Ivy a chance to sing Karen's song 'Secondhand White Baby Grand'.

Production

There were three featured songs in the episode, two originals and one cover ("Run" by

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, backing vocals), Jonny Quinn (d ...

). The two originals, "A Thousand and One Nights" and "Second Hand White Baby Grand", were written by

Marc Shaiman Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Br ...

and Scott Wittman. "Run" was released on the deluxe edition of the cast album

The Music of Smash ''The Music of Smash'' is the first soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series '' Smash''. It was released by Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertai ...

on May 1, 2012. "Second Hand White Baby Grand" and "A Thousand and One Nights" were released as singles as the episode aired; the former is currently available on the cast album Bombshell.

Critical reception

'' The A.V. Club'' gave the episode a C− rating.

Accolades

This episode was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score).

References

Smash (TV series) episodes 2012 American television episodes {{Tv-episode-stub