Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: NBC 's Annie Live!

Ok, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I'm a big fan of the Live TV musicals. Are they usually good? No, I would say not. Do they compare to actual live theatrical productions (even filmings of actual live theater productions)? Absolutely not. Are they still lots of fun? Almost always! From Sound of Music to RENT I've seen them all and always been really interested to see what works and what doesn't (because they all, even Peter Pan, have something that works) and after RENT did so poorly I was afraid we wouldn't get anymore. I'll be honest, I have absolutely no attachment to Annie as a show and I feel relatively "meh" about most of this cast, but I'm excited for young Celina Smith who seems delightful and I fully intend to have an excellent time watching the show!

This performance was actually pretty sweet. In general I don't approve of doing solos or duets for these things, but I understand when you have a "one night only" event with a cast of movie stars, it's more reasonable. The dancing ensemble did great work, Harry Connick Jr. looks weird bald but his voice is actually a great fit for Warbucks, and of course Ms. Smith killed it! This clip showed me that they're doing good ol' fashioned, normal, not trying to rock any boats, traditional Annie. And you know what? That's fine. It won't be my favorite thing ever, but I liked this performance and so I anticipate liking the broadcast.