When looking at the new TV series Smash, I tried mightily to keep Glee in mind.

Glee, after all, is the gold (and gold-generating) standard for music-based dramatic programming, having spawned not only a hit show but CDs, downloads, DVDs, concert tours and a big-screen movie. I was very enthusiastic about the Glee pilot, which seemed refreshing and exciting, and I was a devoted fan at first.

But it became increasingly evident as the show moved into a second and now third season that the dramatic stories seemed to get shoved aside, and character consistency ignored, in favor of musical moments — and especially themed shows where all the songs could be nicely packaged for sale, even if they were pale imitations of the original. This was especially evident in the replication of vintage music videos by Madonna, Britney Spears and, most recently, Michael Jackson; while they may have been painstaking copies, they were still just copies.

Brett Birk of Vanity Fair, in announcing that he was giving up on Glee, ranted even more:

“It wasn’t just the senseless theme episodes, the distracting guest stars, the tonal vacillations, the wanton disregard for character or narrative arcs, the haphazard interjection of sentimentality, the intemperate shuffling of alliances and antagonisms, the cynical pandering to the god of iTunes Downloads, or the leaden commitment to clichéd, ‘feel good’ plot points,” he said. “What truly killed Glee for me was its stubborn refusal to act upon its promise. … The show had no plan. … It would have been nice to feel that, at some point after the pilot aired, someone on the executive team had gathered his writers, stood in front of an easel, and with them crafted some broad ideas for how things should progress — filling in signposts for each character, and the group overall, with respect to how they might thoughtfully take us there. Instead, it seemed that every idea and action was contrived extemporaneously, and without scheme or strategy.”

Which brings me to Smash, which premieres on NBC at 10 p.m. Monday. The show is built around the creation and staging of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. It so resembles Glee in its ability to move the story along with musical numbers, including fantasy sequences in which rehearsals are transformed into full staging of musical numbers. It is Glee-like in its blending of show tunes (some both original and marvelous) with contemporary material; more than once in the early episodes we find characters drawing on the modern songbook in clubs or at parties. And the show’s social complications — alliances formed, romances launched, betrayals and diva-like behavior along the way — will be recognizable even to young viewers; one character specifically compares her situation to high school.

But, based on the four episodes I have seen, Smash does seem to have the plan that Glee lacked.

The series follows a large ensemble of characters. It includes the writing team of Julia Houston (Debra Messing) and Tom Levitt (Christian Borle), who while nominally on a break are suddenly drawn into the idea of a Marilyn musical. They become involved with producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston), who wants a big show as part of her rebound from an ugly divorce from her husband and business partner.

Then they need a director: Derek Wills (Jack Davenport), as smart as he is egotistical, and not friendly with Tom. Even more, they need a Marilyn, and the choice comes down to two actresses: Broadway chorus veteran Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) and relative newcomer Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee, an American Idol runner-up). And around those characters swirl others: Julia’s husband, Tom’s assistant, Eileen’s ex, Karen’s boyfriend and others who appear as the show proceeds.

They are shepherded by a production team that includes a lot of people who know their way around stages and musicals, including series creator Theresa Rebeck, an award-winning playwright; executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (the movie version of Chicago, TV’s The Music Man and more); songwriters Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray), who are also executive producers. And, because of that, everyone involved has a clear understanding of what goes into making a show — where Glee from the beginning was not even clear about the geography of Ohio.

So instead of some fantasy where songs are written in a moment and the show opens on Broadway with minimal effort, this sees show business as arduous. Instead, the creation of the show is itself piecemeal: a song here, a song there, and the plot to be sorted out during a workshop process before a full staging is even possible. Smash knows about the cost of this effort, with even the workshop requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars to mount.

And the show knows that some things have to be handled immediately; by the end of the second episode the show has its Marilyn (although the loser in that contest does not disappear from the scene). In the four episodes previewed, the thing moves logically — bumpily at times, but even the bumps make sense in the context of show creation. In fact, when Smash detoured into the personal lives of some of the characters, it felt like a digression from the major narrative. I wanted to see where the show went.

Of course, after four episodes I can’t say that Smash has everything figured out — especially if it is successful enough to have to come up with a second or third season or more. But I liked very much what I saw in those four: the music, the performances and the admission into a world that is as rich in history and excitement as it is bursting with song.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Productions coming to DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday include:

Blu-ray — A Star Is Born (Judy Garland); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grave Danger (Quentin Tarantino episode); Dangerous Liaisons; Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (Jim Carrey); and Love Story. Titles below with an asterisk are also being released on Blu-ray.

Movies — A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas* (also 3-D Blu-ray); Anonymous*; Fireflies in the Garden; Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition*; Project Nim; The Rebound*; What Happens Next; and Yakuza Weapon*.

Also, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on Friday.

TV shows — The Brontes of Haworth; Downton Abbey: Season 2*; The Father Dowling Mysteries: Season 1; The Jazz Singer (Jerry Lewis version); Police Woman: Season 2; and The Sunset Limited*.

Kid/family — Curious George Saves the Day; Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred; and Rocko’s Modern Life: Season Two.

Other — Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall*.

Sources include www.tvshowsondvd.com, www.joblo.com. For information, consult those sites.

The drama series Downton Abbey has become a public-television phenomenon, recalling the days when shows like Brideshead Revisited and Upstairs Downstairs would be buzzed about by viewers who otherwise paid little attention to public broadcasting.

Downton, which owes more than a little to Upstairs Downstairs in its storytelling, has a seductive blend of melodrama and class conflict — not to mention delicious banter and acting — in its tale of a family and its servants in the early part of the 20th century. (The second season begins during World War I.) So much so, in fact, that its recent gracing of the cover of TV Guide reportedly marked the first time a PBS show had done so in more than 30 years.

Fans of the show, whose second season is airing Sunday nights under the Masterpiece Classic banner, will get a bonus on Tuesday when this season arrives on DVD (PBS Distribution, $44.99) and Blu-ray ($49.99). Not only are parts of it on store shelves before being televised, but the release includes eight episodes plus a Christmas-themed telecast in their original British form, which is different from the U.S. telecasts. For example, the first two parts in the United Kingdom were edited into a single (and somewhat shorter) telecast for Masterpiece; thus the second episode on PBS is the third in the DVD and Blu-ray sets.

There are also three extras: a piece on romance in wartime as shown in the series, one on changing fashions during the period covered by the show and one called House to Hospital, on changes in the lives of the characters and their home, which has been converted into a military convalescent hospital.

Jerry Lewis has been getting new attention of late, including a documentary about his life and work, and he has begun opening his considerable archives. For example, Inception Media on Tuesday will release The Jazz Singer ($14.98), an adaptation of the Al Jolson film classic that starred Lewis and aired originally as one of the Lincoln-Mercury Startime specials in 1959.

The DVD includes both a black-and-white kinescope and a color version (NBC, which showed the program, had been doing color broadcasts for several years by 1959); Lewis plays a musician and comedian who wants show-business success, while his father (Eduard Franz) wants Lewis to succeed him as a cantor, continuing generations of family cantors. The production is interesting, not least because Lewis’ performance is very much in keeping with the Lewis we still see today: talented, yes, and capable of moments of vulnerability, but also more than a little combative and arrogant. The presentation is staged very simply, and the color rather worn; the cast also includes Anna Maria Alberghetti, Molly Picon and Alan Reed (who would later be famous as the voice of Fred Flintstone).

The DVD also includes a piece about the restoration of The Jazz Singer and a photo gallery.

Other items of interest include:

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grave Danger, the two-part, fifth-season episode directed by Quentin Tarantino that comes to Blu-ray as a stand-alone offering (CBS/Paramount, $24.99 in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack). It also includes a feature about making it “Tarantino Style.”

• A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, which reunites Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris for a third big-screen adventure. The theatrical version was also in 3-D, and it includes some 3-D jokes that are still somewhat funny in the 2-D version I watched. From Warner Home Entertainment, it is being offered in a combo pack with the 3-D Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, standard DVD and digital copy for $44.95; one with the standard Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy ($35.99); and as a single DVD with digital copy ($28.98). Extras vary, depending on the package.

• Tommy Lee Jones, who directed himself, and Samuel L. Jackson — and don’t you love the idea of those two guys in the same room? — in The Sunset Limited (HBO, $26.98 DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray), an adaptation of the play by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, The Road). The meeting between a suicidal professor (Jones) and religious ex-con (Jackson) is too talky but, again, it’s those two guys working together. Extras include a making-of piece and audio commentary by Jones, Jackson and McCarthy.

• The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (Universal, $29.98 DVD, $39.98 Blu-ray), a lavishly shot performance of a 25th-anniversary performance of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Ramin Karimloo is the Phantom and Sierra Boggess is Christine; both are veterans of Webber’s Phantom sequel Love Never Dies (and one of the extras is a making-of piece about Love). Phantom originals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman also appear for what Universal proclaims “a memorable curtain call.”

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio,com. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. Contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Don’t miss:

Super Bowl XLVI — Are you ready for some football? It’s America’s day of gridiron gluttony — when something like a gazillion viewers tune in to see big, sweaty men frolic on plastic grass. But even if you don’t have your head in the game, there are plenty of things to watch besides the New England Patriots and New York Giants. Highlights include all those wacky, high-priced commercials and the halftime festivities with Madonna rocking the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will call the play-by-play, but not before hours upon hours of monotonous pre-game blather. 6 p.m. Sunday, NBC.

Other bets

Sunday: Like every other great institution, Puppy Bowl VIII is embracing social media. This year a bird will provide live tweets of all the adorable, tail-wagging action on the mini gridiron. 3 p.m., Animal Planet.

Sunday: The goofy swiveling chairs are back as The Voice renews its effort to find America’s next great crooner. But what we really can’t wait to see is Monday night’s medley of Prince songs performed by the show’s judges, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton. (10 p.m., NBC — time approximate after the Super Bowl). Read Rich Heldenfels’ take on the show in Sunday’s Channels guide.

Monday: It’s time to raise the curtain on Smash, a real showstopper of a drama that chronicles the making of a Broadway musical and all the ego clashes, backbiting and diva doings that entails. Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston and former American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee headline a stellar cast. 10 p.m., NBC.

Monday: On Castle, Castle and Beckett (Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic) go back in time as a hard-boiled private eye and femme fatale trying to solve a cold case from 1947. Let’s hope the whole endeavor doesn’t send us into a big sleep. 10:01 p.m., ABC.

Tuesday: NCIS, prime time’s most popular drama, hits a milestone with its 200th episode. To mark the occasion, the show takes an It’s a Wonderful Life twist with plenty of flashbacks as Gibbs (Mark Harmon) finds himself questioning the choices he’s made over the years. 8 p.m., CBS.

Tuesday: Lost on the Amazon is the simplistic way to describe The River, a new drama about the treacherous search to find a wildlife expert (Bruce Greenwood) who vanished after decades of traveling the globe for a popular nature series. There are unnerving chills and thrills aplenty in the two-hour opener. 9 p.m., ABC.

Wednesday: Charlie Rose and Lara Logan channel the spirit of fabled newsman Edward R. Murrow by reviving Person to Person. It’s a program that has the hosts interviewing newsmakers, politicians, entertainers and other celebrities in their homes. 8 p.m., CBS.

Thursday: The frivolity of the traveling auditions are over. Now, it’s time to get down to serious business on American Idol, which kicks off its Hollywood rounds and begins to separate the contenders from the pretenders. 8 p.m., Fox.

Thursday: It’s alligator-hunting time in the bayou as Swamp People launches a new season. But we’re thinking it would be a lot more fair — and entertaining — if they armed the gators with uzis and bayonets. 9 p.m., History Channel.

Friday: It’s shades of the Twilight Zone on Fringe as Peter, Walter and Olivia (Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Anna Torv) find themselves trapped in a town from which there is no escape. Sounds kooky and bizarre, but then again, this is Fringe. 9 p.m., Fox.

Saturday: Valentine’s Day is near, so naturally someone went and made a movie called Cupid. It’s about a talk-show host (Joely Fisher) who meets a mysterious romance expert who promises that he’ll lead her to her true love. But first she has to help other couples find each other. 8 p.m., Hallmark Channel.

Ohio is well-represented in the fifth annual Brewing News National IPA Challenge. The competition — run like the NCAA’s March Madness — pits 128 IPAs against each other. They are judged in a bracket format until one is declared the winner. The competition began today (Saturday). The final round will be judged March 3. The Ohio brews entered:

•?Seven from Cornerstone Brewing in Berea.

•?Head Hunter IPA and HBC 342 Trial Hop IPA from Fat Head’s Brewery in North Olmsted.

•?Ironworker IPA from Chardon BrewWorks & Eatery in Chardon.

•?Cleveland IPA from Buckeye Brewing in Cleveland.

•?Trouble from Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland.

•?Three Frogs IPA from Elevator Brewing in Columbus.

•?White Rajah IPA and EXP Galactic Redacted WIPpLe from The Brew Kettle in Strongsville.

•?Cosmic IPA and Moonshadow from Willoughby Brewing in Willoughby.

•?Hoppin’ to Heaven IPA from Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron.

•?Dizzy Ninja IPA from Main Street Grille & Brewing Co.

When looking at the new TV series Smash, I tried mightily to keep Glee in mind.

Glee, after all, is the gold (and gold-generating) standard for music-based dramatic programming, having spawned not only a hit show but CDs, downloads, DVDs, concert tours and a big-screen movie. I was very enthusiastic about the Glee pilot, which seemed refreshing and exciting, and I was a devoted fan at first.

But it became increasingly evident as the show moved into a second and now third season that the dramatic stories seemed to get shoved aside, and character consistency ignored, in favor of musical moments — and especially themed shows where all the songs could be nicely packaged for sale, even if they were pale imitations of the original. This was especially evident in the replication of vintage music videos by Madonna, Britney Spears and, most recently, Michael Jackson; while they may have been painstaking copies, they were still just copies.

Brett Birk of Vanity Fair, in announcing that he was giving up on Glee, ranted even more:

“It wasn’t just the senseless theme episodes, the distracting guest stars, the tonal vacillations, the wanton disregard for character or narrative arcs, the haphazard interjection of sentimentality, the intemperate shuffling of alliances and antagonisms, the cynical pandering to the god of iTunes Downloads, or the leaden commitment to clichéd, ‘feel good’ plot points,” he said. “What truly killed Glee for me was its stubborn refusal to act upon its promise. … The show had no plan. … It would have been nice to feel that, at some point after the pilot aired, someone on the executive team had gathered his writers, stood in front of an easel, and with them crafted some broad ideas for how things should progress — filling in signposts for each character, and the group overall, with respect to how they might thoughtfully take us there. Instead, it seemed that every idea and action was contrived extemporaneously, and without scheme or strategy.”

Which brings me to Smash, which premieres on NBC at 10 p.m. Monday. The show is built around the creation and staging of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. It so resembles Glee in its ability to move the story along with musical numbers, including fantasy sequences in which rehearsals are transformed into full staging of musical numbers. It is Glee-like in its blending of show tunes (some both original and marvelous) with contemporary material; more than once in the early episodes we find characters drawing on the modern songbook in clubs or at parties. And the show’s social complications — alliances formed, romances launched, betrayals and diva-like behavior along the way — will be recognizable even to young viewers; one character specifically compares her situation to high school.

But, based on the four episodes I have seen, Smash does seem to have the plan that Glee lacked.

The series follows a large ensemble of characters. It includes the writing team of Julia Houston (Debra Messing) and Tom Levitt (Christian Borle), who while nominally on a break are suddenly drawn into the idea of a Marilyn musical. They become involved with producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston), who wants a big show as part of her rebound from an ugly divorce from her husband and business partner.

Then they need a director: Derek Wills (Jack Davenport), as smart as he is egotistical, and not friendly with Tom. Even more, they need a Marilyn, and the choice comes down to two actresses: Broadway chorus veteran Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) and relative newcomer Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee, an American Idol runner-up). And around those characters swirl others: Julia’s husband, Tom’s assistant, Eileen’s ex, Karen’s boyfriend and others who appear as the show proceeds.

They are shepherded by a production team that includes a lot of people who know their way around stages and musicals, including series creator Theresa Rebeck, an award-winning playwright; executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (the movie version of Chicago, TV’s The Music Man and more); songwriters Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray), who are also executive producers. And, because of that, everyone involved has a clear understanding of what goes into making a show — where Glee from the beginning was not even clear about the geography of Ohio.

So instead of some fantasy where songs are written in a moment and the show opens on Broadway with minimal effort, this sees show business as arduous. Instead, the creation of the show is itself piecemeal: a song here, a song there, and the plot to be sorted out during a workshop process before a full staging is even possible. Smash knows about the cost of this effort, with even the workshop requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars to mount.

And the show knows that some things have to be handled immediately; by the end of the second episode the show has its Marilyn (although the loser in that contest does not disappear from the scene). In the four episodes previewed, the thing moves logically — bumpily at times, but even the bumps make sense in the context of show creation. In fact, when Smash detoured into the personal lives of some of the characters, it felt like a digression from the major narrative. I wanted to see where the show went.

Of course, after four episodes I can’t say that Smash has everything figured out — especially if it is successful enough to have to come up with a second or third season or more. But I liked very much what I saw in those four: the music, the performances and the admission into a world that is as rich in history and excitement as it is bursting with song.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

Productions coming to DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday include:

Blu-ray — A Star Is Born (Judy Garland); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grave Danger (Quentin Tarantino episode); Dangerous Liaisons; Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (Jim Carrey); and Love Story. Titles below with an asterisk are also being released on Blu-ray.

Movies — A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas* (also 3-D Blu-ray); Anonymous*; Fireflies in the Garden; Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition*; Project Nim; The Rebound*; What Happens Next; and Yakuza Weapon*.

Also, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on Friday.

TV shows — The Brontes of Haworth; Downton Abbey: Season 2*; The Father Dowling Mysteries: Season 1; The Jazz Singer (Jerry Lewis version); Police Woman: Season 2; and The Sunset Limited*.

Kid/family — Curious George Saves the Day; Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred; and Rocko’s Modern Life: Season Two.

Other — Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall*.

Sources include www.tvshowsondvd.com, www.joblo.com. For information, consult those sites.

Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

The drama series Downton Abbey has become a public-television phenomenon, recalling the days when shows like Brideshead Revisited and Upstairs Downstairs would be buzzed about by viewers who otherwise paid little attention to public broadcasting.

Downton, which owes more than a little to Upstairs Downstairs in its storytelling, has a seductive blend of melodrama and class conflict — not to mention delicious banter and acting — in its tale of a family and its servants in the early part of the 20th century. (The second season begins during World War I.) So much so, in fact, that its recent gracing of the cover of TV Guide reportedly marked the first time a PBS show had done so in more than 30 years.

Fans of the show, whose second season is airing Sunday nights under the Masterpiece Classic banner, will get a bonus on Tuesday when this season arrives on DVD (PBS Distribution, $44.99) and Blu-ray ($49.99). Not only are parts of it on store shelves before being televised, but the release includes eight episodes plus a Christmas-themed telecast in their original British form, which is different from the U.S. telecasts. For example, the first two parts in the United Kingdom were edited into a single (and somewhat shorter) telecast for Masterpiece; thus the second episode on PBS is the third in the DVD and Blu-ray sets.

There are also three extras: a piece on romance in wartime as shown in the series, one on changing fashions during the period covered by the show and one called House to Hospital, on changes in the lives of the characters and their home, which has been converted into a military convalescent hospital.

Jerry Lewis has been getting new attention of late, including a documentary about his life and work, and he has begun opening his considerable archives. For example, Inception Media on Tuesday will release The Jazz Singer ($14.98), an adaptation of the Al Jolson film classic that starred Lewis and aired originally as one of the Lincoln-Mercury Startime specials in 1959.

The DVD includes both a black-and-white kinescope and a color version (NBC, which showed the program, had been doing color broadcasts for several years by 1959); Lewis plays a musician and comedian who wants show-business success, while his father (Eduard Franz) wants Lewis to succeed him as a cantor, continuing generations of family cantors. The production is interesting, not least because Lewis’ performance is very much in keeping with the Lewis we still see today: talented, yes, and capable of moments of vulnerability, but also more than a little combative and arrogant. The presentation is staged very simply, and the color rather worn; the cast also includes Anna Maria Alberghetti, Molly Picon and Alan Reed (who would later be famous as the voice of Fred Flintstone).

The DVD also includes a piece about the restoration of The Jazz Singer and a photo gallery.

Other items of interest include:

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grave Danger, the two-part, fifth-season episode directed by Quentin Tarantino that comes to Blu-ray as a stand-alone offering (CBS/Paramount, $24.99 in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack). It also includes a feature about making it “Tarantino Style.”

• A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, which reunites Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris for a third big-screen adventure. The theatrical version was also in 3-D, and it includes some 3-D jokes that are still somewhat funny in the 2-D version I watched. From Warner Home Entertainment, it is being offered in a combo pack with the 3-D Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, standard DVD and digital copy for $44.95; one with the standard Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy ($35.99); and as a single DVD with digital copy ($28.98). Extras vary, depending on the package.

• Tommy Lee Jones, who directed himself, and Samuel L. Jackson — and don’t you love the idea of those two guys in the same room? — in The Sunset Limited (HBO, $26.98 DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray), an adaptation of the play by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, The Road). The meeting between a suicidal professor (Jones) and religious ex-con (Jackson) is too talky but, again, it’s those two guys working together. Extras include a making-of piece and audio commentary by Jones, Jackson and McCarthy.

• The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (Universal, $29.98 DVD, $39.98 Blu-ray), a lavishly shot performance of a 25th-anniversary performance of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Ramin Karimloo is the Phantom and Sierra Boggess is Christine; both are veterans of Webber’s Phantom sequel Love Never Dies (and one of the extras is a making-of piece about Love). Phantom originals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman also appear for what Universal proclaims “a memorable curtain call.”

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio,com. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. Contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland is offering an interesting promotion: a free growler on Super Bowl Sunday. Don’t get too excited, though. The glass container is free, but you still have to pay for the beer inside. The jugs typically go for $8, according to the beer menu. “Before you head to your annual house party to watch the big game, stop by Market Garden and pick up a growler,” the brewery said in an email. “You are guaranteed at least two high fives and one chest bump from your friends.”

WALTER SCOTT ASKS…Jeremy Sisto

The 37-year-old star of the ABC series Suburgatory (Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. ET) is expecting his second child, a boy, with wife Addie Lane in the spring.

Have you chosen a name for the new arrival?
The name-picking thing is so random. For a while we just gave up. [laughs] The tentative plan is to have a list and make that decision when he pops out.

What were some of your odd jobs early on?
I was a sandwich artist at Subway and can still rattle off the order of toppings. I was fired because I got meatball sauce on the ivory cutting boards.

First Jobs of the Rich and Famous

Is it true you’re a magician?
No. I have to change that [on my Wikipedia page]. I don’t have the attention span to practice sleight of hand.

What is your secret talent?
I play the guitar and I juggle.

Your Clueless costar Alicia Silverstone is guesting on Suburgatory. Do you finally get the girl now that you play a nice guy?
Wouldn’t that be funny? In the other movie we did together [1995’s Hideaway], I was a serial killer, so this will be our first normal interaction.

Q: Whatever happened to Touched by an Angel star Roma Downey? —Molly Pekar, Racine, Wis.

Discover 13 Irish Celebrities

A: The actress, 51, is producing an animated DVD series called Little Angels, which helps teach preschoolers their ABCs and numbers while also introducing them to Bible stories. “When I was a child, there was a charming nighttime prayer we would say that became the inspiration for the series,” she says. “I thought it would be marvelous to have something reminding children that they’re always being looked after.”

Another Reason To Hate Madonna. The singer, set to perform at the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday, recently demonstrated her cluelessness about how real people spend their money. And how she thinks they should spend it on her.

Quizzed by Newsweek about the high ticket prices for her concerts, she said, “People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together, and come to my show. I’m worth it.”

•

What Happened to Leslie Carter? You may have seen that Carter, the sister of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter and of Aaron Carter, died recently at just 25 years old, apparently the result of an overdose of prescription drugs. (People.com noted that she was found near medication to treat bipolar disorder and anxiety.) But people are wondering how she reached this horrible point.

Leslie reportedly had pop-star dreams like her brothers but never reached their level of fame. And a family member told People.com that she had a long history of mental illness and had seemed depressed on the morning before she died.

There may also have been genetic ties. Aaron, who has appeared on Dancing With the Stars, has publicly acknowledged substance-abuse problems and checked into rehab a year ago. Nick has also had problems with alcohol and entered a treatment program in 2005.

•

A Beyonce Ratings Bounce? Speculation about who will join Simon Cowell on The X Factor is now focusing on Beyonce, Usmagazine.com reports. Cowell recently axed judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger as well as host Steve Jones. And, in his quest to outdraw American Idol, he has reportedly offered the singer-actress $100 million to appear.

That would buy a lot of $300 handbags.

•

Channel Changes. NBC has bumped The Firm from its Thursday lineup after a handful of little-watched episodes. Remaining episodes will be burned off on Saturdays beginning Feb. 11. The show was a sequel to the John Grisham novel and resulting Tom Cruise movie.

The 10 p.m. Thursday slot will go to Grimm reruns until March 1, when a new series, Awake, moves in. That involves a man who gets into an accident in which it appears his wife and son have died; to cope, his mind has put him in two different worlds, one where his wife has lived and one where his son has.

Yes, it sounds weird. And it is. Jason Isaacs of Showtime’s Brotherhood and the Harry Potter movies is the star.

•

Movie Talk. Emmy win, Oscar nomination, hit movie and TV show — everything is rolling right for actress Melissa McCarthy. So much so that Chris Rock is looking for help from her.

Rock’s movie career has been so-so at best when he’s not animated or starring with Adam Sandler. And he told the Los Angeles Times that he wants McCarthy to play his wife in a movie he’s writing about a dysfunctional couple.

Jerry Springer-level dysfunction, Rock said.

But he may have to get in line; the Huffington Post notes that, in addition to starring on CBS’ Mike & Molly, McCarthy is already attached to movies with Jason Bateman and Jon Hamm.

The better news from Rock’s interview: he is working on material for a new stand-up tour.
•
New Queen Singer? American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert has told a British publication that he will be singing with Queen bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor on what sounds like a regular basis.

The band’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury, died in 1991 and, according to Rollingstone.com, May and Taylor have toured with Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers on lead vocals. Lambert sang with Taylor and May on Idol in 2009 and in a show in 2011.

Lambert spoke not of replacing Mercury but paying tribute to him and the band. The performances will keep Queen’s music alive for its fans, he said.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels. ohio.com. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

Yuengling Bock — a seasonal beer from D.G. Yuengling & Son — will be released in Ohio starting Monday. If you can’t wait that long and live in the Cleveland-Akron area, the Winking Lizard Taverns in downtown Cleveland, Fairlawn and Independence have it on draft now. The Pennsylvania brewery brought back Yuengling Bock in 2009 as part of its 200th anniversary. The label features a goat sipping a beer from a goblet and is a re-creation of the 1941 artwork for the beer.

The movie has good performances by Charlize Theron and especially Patton Oswalt, but a not-great script by Diablo Cody.
The official word: A brilliant and bittersweet comedy about the harsh realities of growing up, YOUNG ADULT debuts on Blu-ray and DVD (both with UltraViolet™) on March 13, 2012, as well as On Demand and for Digital Download on March 9, 2012 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Nominated for a 2012 Golden Globe® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical, Charlize Theron is “a comic force of nature” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) as Mavis Gary, a former prom queen and current writer of young adult novels who returns to her hometown in order to win back her now-married high school sweetheart. The film reunites director Jason Reitman (Up In The Air) with screenwriter Diablo Cody, whose work was nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Hailed as a “one-of-a-kind comedy” (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly), YOUNG ADULT also stars Patton Oswalt as one of Mavis’ former classmates, a role that earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor from the Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Broadcast Film Critics Associations.

The YOUNG ADULT Blu-ray includes commentary by director Jason Reitman and additional crew, a look at the making of the film, a Q&A featuring Jason Reitman and film critic Janet Maslin, deleted scenes and a scene deconstruction. The DVD includes the commentary, scene deconstruction and select deleted scenes. All Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

More after the jump.

YOUNG ADULT Blu-ray

The YOUNG ADULT Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description, and with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Special features are as follows:

o Commentary by director Jason Reitman, director of photography
Eric Steelberg and first assistant director/associate producer
Jason A. Blumenfeld

o Misery Loves Company: The Making of Young Adult

o The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene

o Q&A featuring Janet Maslin & Jason Reitman at the Jacob Burns Film Center

o Deleted Scenes

YOUNG ADULT DVD

The DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, French 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and English Audio Description, and with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Special features are as follows:

o Commentary by director Jason Reitman, director of photography
Eric Steelberg and first assistant director/associate producer
Jason A. Blumenfeld

o The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene

o Deleted Scenes

About YOUNG ADULT

Jason Reitman directs and produces “Young Adult” along with producers Lianne Halfon (“Juno,” “The Libertine”), Russell Smith (“Juno,” “The Libertine”), Mason Novick (“Jennifer’s Body,” “500 Days of Summer”) and Diablo Cody. Helen Estabrook (“Up in the Air”) serves as executive producer with Steven Rales (“Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Darjeerling Limited”) Nathan Kahane (“The Switch,” “Whip It”) and John Malkovich (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”).

YOUNG ADULT

Street Date: March 13, 2012 (Blu-ray & DVD)

March 9, 2012 (On Demand & Digital Download)

SRP: $29.99 U.S. (Blu-ray)

$19.99 U.S (DVD)

Runtime: 93 minutes

U.S. Rating: R for language and some sexual content

Canadian Rating: 14A for coarse language and mature theme

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Tickets are on sale now for the second annual International Beer Fest at the I-X Center in Cleveland. The event, considered the largest competition of world beers in the Midwest, is May 11 and 12. The festival will feature three tasting sessions with more than 200 breweries from around the world and about 800 beers. ”It is a natural fit that Cleveland and the I-X Center host a beer showcase and competition of this caliber,” I-X President Robert Peterson said in a prepared statement. “As an exposition center with a proven track record of success, the I-X Center is thrilled to produce an event of this magnitude highlighting local, national and international beers and breweries. We are proud that International Beer Fest has quickly grown to become the largest beer centric festival in the Midwest.” The event is more than just a beer tasting. Beers are judged and medals handed out; and there are plenty of educational seminars. General admission tickets are $45, while VIP tickets are $75. For more details or to buy tickets, click here.