Smash a Smash for NBC and Columbia

SMASH A SMASH: NBC’s relentless promotion of its new Steven Spielberg-produced series Smash paid off big-time last night. The show earned a 3.8 in adults 18-49 at 10 p.m. with 11.5 million viewing audience. That made it the third-highest rated demo debut for a drama this television season, just two tenths of a point behind Once Upon a Time (4.0) and the preview of Touch (3.9) . Though the series did dip over the course of the broadcast (it lost 20% from the first to second half hour), it gave NBC its first demo win in the time slot, Olympics excluded, since Saturday Night Live's election special in 2008. Two singles from the debut show, about the behind-the-scenes activity surrounding a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe, starring former American Idol contestant Katherine McPhee, charted on iTunes, including the original “Let Me Be Your Star” (sung by McPhee and co-star Megan Hilty) and McPhee’s cover of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” Columbia Records is the label with rights to the music from the show. (2/7p)