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NBC, The Nepotism Broadcasting Company

F

FredLeonard

Guest
NBC announced plans for another live Broadway musical event, this time "Peter Pan," which NBC aired three times in 50s starring Mary Martin.

They already have done "The Sound of Music," with reality show winner Carrie Underwood in another role Mary Martin created on Broadway.

Guess whom they reached out to to play Peter?

Brian Williams' daughter.

Like Underwood, Allison Williams has zero musical theater experience. But her old man, NBC's head TelePrompTer reader, used to be an NAB lobbyist, so I guess they figure that doesn't matter.

NBC has a history of nepotism. General David Sarnoff fired Sylvester "Pat" Weaver to put is idiot son in charge. Now, Comcast owns NBC and CEO Brian Roberts is also an SOB (Sons Of Bosses).

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/allison-williams-star-nbc-peter-675942

Good thing Mary Martin or her son, J.R. Ewing, aren't around to see this.
 
FredLeonard said:
NBC announced plans for another live Broadway musical event, this time "Peter Pan," which NBC aired three times in 50s starring Mary Martin.

They already have done "The Sound of Music," with reality show winner Carrie Underwood in another role Mary Martin created on Broadway.

Guess whom they reached out to to play Peter?

Brian Williams' daughter.

Like Underwood, Allison Williams has zero musical theater experience. But her old man, NBC's head TelePrompTer reader, used to be an NAB lobbyist, so I guess they figure that doesn't matter.

NBC has a history of nepotism. General David Sarnoff fired Sylvester "Pat" Weaver to put is idiot son in charge. Now, Comcast owns NBC and CEO Brian Roberts is also an SOB (Sons Of Bosses).

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/allison-williams-star-nbc-peter-675942

Good thing Mary Martin or her son, J.R. Ewing, aren't around to see this.
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Nepotism may or may not have gotten Allison the job, but you have to keep in mind that; (1) she's a better than decent actress, (2) she is a classically trained singer with a good voice, (3) she's likely an "up-and-coming" star with some marquee potential, and (4) she's very easy on the eyes.

Put that all together, and she is a perfectly decent choice for the role. I'm not aware of much musical theater experience in Christopher Walken's (Captain Hook) case either, but I doubt anybody cares.
 
LKellerIII said:
Put that all together, and she is a perfectly decent choice for the role. I'm not aware of much musical theater experience in Christopher Walken's (Captain Hook) case either, but I doubt anybody cares.
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You might not be aware of it, but Walken got his start as a song and dance man in live theater. He is, to put it mildly, one of the best there is at an art form that there isn't much demand for nowadays. As good as he is as an actor, he is (or was, in his physical prime) even better as a singer and dancer.
 
Lortel Archives shows no off-Broadway credits for "Allison Williams."

Internet Broadway Database shows four musical credits for "Allison Williams," three of them before Brian's daughter was born and one when she was four (it's not a kid's role). This is curious, because the performers' unions, Equity and AFTRA/SAG, do not allow members to use the same name as another performer (even if it's their real name and the other performer has been using a stage name).

Christopher Walken has 13 Broadway credits, two of them in musicals. Allison is on a premium cable show that not that many people have seen but apparently "daddy" is arranging for her to get her career handed to her.

If they wanted to get somebody from an HBO series about chicks' adventures in Manhattan, they could have gotten Sarah Jessica Parker, who has had leading roles in three Broadway musicals.

Easy on the eyes? So, what? She's playing a boy who won't grow up.
 
Given the high number of offspring who have ridden their parent's coattails to a career in front of the camera/audience I don't think this is unusual. It seems almost natural in many ways. The only concerning item here might be that the same network is involved and might smack of favoritism not based upon talent. I can't answer that but I will say that it is of no concern to me. IMHO the only Peter Pan presentation I care a whit about was the 1953 Disney movie. Everything else is a poor imitation.
 
I think this thread should be merged with my own thread on Peter Pan Live.
 
I remember Carrie saying she'd never really done anything like this other than a high school musical, and she got hammered by the critics. But the show was a ratings success, and they made a DVD and a soundtrack that's also made money.
 
mvcg66b3r said:
I think this thread should be merged with my own thread on Peter Pan Live.
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I don't know which is worse. Another thread from the king of the "cursed list" threads, or another click bait titled thread. The phrase "rock and a hard place" come to mind.
 
Avid Listener said:
I don't know which is worse. Another thread from the king of the "cursed list" threads, or another click bait titled thread. The phrase "rock and a hard place" come to mind.
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There have been some Broadway musicals for TV with excellent casting: Bette Midler as Mama Rose (originated by Ethel Merman) in "Gypsy." Jason Alexander as Albert (originated by Dick Van Dyke) in "Bye, Bye Birdie." Hugh Jackman was outstanding as "Curly" in "Oklahoma." All were experienced Broadway musical performers before they became well-known in other venues. On the other hand, Glenn Close had Broadway musical experience but was completely miscast in "South Pacific." And Matthew Broderick is also a Broadway veteran but he was terrible (with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P") in "The Music Man."

Some TV musical casting decisions seem drug induced. Not just a reality TV star in "The Sound of Music" but who is going to believe a Black nun in Austria in the 30s?

Of course, the movies have done even more to screw up classic Broadway musicals, so nothing new here.
 
Fred has a valid point here. Ms. Williams is clearly not the best person to fit this role and wouldn't have gotten it had her father not been the network's lead newscaster. Carrie Underwood had a broad fan base that would watch Sound of Music just to see her and that strategy was justified by the ratings.

I don't see Peter Pan getting close to those ratings because it will lack the star quality of Sound of Music. Seems like a foolish move.
 
Now, add to this the question of whether this is a legitimate use of the "Nightly News." Does Brian the lobbyist think this is "The Brian Williams Show" or "A Day In The Life of Brian?"

'Family members confirm she's been rehearsing for this since the age of three': Brian Williams is filled with fatherly pride as he reports actress daughter Allison, 26, will play Peter Pan in NBC special

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ghter-Allison-play-Peter-Pan-NBC-special.html
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She's not that well known - at least not before yesterday - and after seeing all the pictures of her attached to news articles, she's not that "easy to look at."

For the record, I did not agree with those who did not want anyone other than Julie Andrews to play Maria. She did not originate the role; Mary Martin did. I saw the national tour in which Florence Henderson played Maria. Nancy Dussault later replaced Martin on Broadway. Even though Andrews is British another actress played Maria in London. All before the movie. Andrews has no claim or monopoly on the role. Still, the casting could have been better.
 
Not the first time anchor-nepotism has occurred.

Director Sidney Lumet cast Kathy Cronkite, Walter's daughter, in "Network!" in 1976.

In the 50s, Lumet directed Uncle Walter in the TV series "You Are There." ("A day like all days, filled with those events which alter an illuminate our time.")
 
To me, nepotism is only an issue if no one else was considered for the job, and relationship was the only qualification. That is usually the situation if you work in a family business.

I understand she's not the "best person" for the job, but admittedly, neither was Carrie Underwood.
 
Nobody knows if nepotism is the reason that Allison got the job - it's just speculation. My point was that she's an attractive young professional actress with a nice singing voice. - it's not like they pulled an amateur off the sidewalk in front of 30 Rock.

But if nepotism was the deciding factor, I'd like to point out that it's rampant in all industries, not just entertainment. I could name 5 people at my workplace - about as far removed from the entertainment industry as you can get - that got into upper management because they knew, or were related to somebody else in upper management.

It's a fact of life, which as we all know, is not fair.
 
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