Thank you Karen for that great title (hopefully Megan will be presenting tonight...LOVE HER!!!)! It is indeed TONY NIGHT!!! And I'm blogging it whether you like it or not, bitches!! I'll blog it until I am there accepting one in person! And who knows, maybe I'll blog while I'm there too?!?
I'm baking a frozen pizza, in my jammies on the sofa, just waiting for the festivities to begin.
On the live streaming pre-show, the cast of Jersey Boys is instructing people in acceptance etiquette...don't lean in and kiss the mike, try not to go to the bathroom or you'll miss your award, and you only have 90 seconds so run onstage, thank your mom and the lord, and get off. CBS is not open to running until midnight like ABC does with the Oscars. :-( I'd watch no matter how long it lasts!
Ok, off to cut the pizza...7 minutes to showtime!!! Go Christine Ebersole and "Grey Gardens"!!!
Ah, Radio City!!! Marvin Hamlisch on the piano as the cast of Chorus Line dances in the street outside Radio City...since "I Hope I Get It"....Michael Baresse...So Sexy!!!!
Presenter line-up doesn't include Megan Mulally. :-( Now Chorus Line cast is doing "One"...haven't we all had enough of that crappy song. Worst song in the show and it is the most well known. Sometimes I don't get people. The cast is great though.
First presenter is Angela Lansbury...LEGEND!!!!! (oh, there is Liev Schrieber...YUM!!!!) Oh, and there are Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel...Love them!!! Angela is greeting folks, not presenting, I guess. She's still lovely, but having a little trouble reading the prompter.
First presenters are actually Christina Applegate and Neil Patrick Harris. Yay!! Doogie and Kelly Bundy. Featured actor in a play...nominees: Anthony Chisholm, Billy Crudup, Ethan Hawke, John Earl Jelks, and Stark Sands (cool name!). Winner is Billy Crudup for "The Coast of Utopia". Know nothing about the play, but it has a ton of nominations!! It is by Tom Stoppard...he's always great.
Next up...Robert Sean Leonard and Vanessa Williams...she looks great, he needs a haircut! The writers are terrible...they keep talking...shut up and present!! Featured Actor in a Musical: Brooks Ashmankas, Christian Borle, John Cullom, John Gallagher Jr, David Pittu. Winner is John Gallagher Jr from Spring Awakening! The first of many awards I'm sure they'll bring home tonight!!! Aw, he's just a kid...and his voice is shaking. So cute! He's starting to cry. Now, Dub's tearing too.
David Hyde Pierce is introducing a scene from his musical "Curtains"...oh, after the commercial break. There is going to be a special performance by Fantasia from "Color Purple"???? What the hell? Why not give musicals from THIS YEAR a few more minutes to perform instead??? Oh, CBS...how you disappoint. I'm sure Fantasia will be lovely but I'd much rather see an extra couple minutes of Spring Awakening or Grey Gardens!! Can't we just go to YouTube and see Fanty sing in Color Purple? I'm sure there are some bootlegs on there...there usually are.
Heidi Klum loves "Cats". So what??
Carla Gugino and Jeff Daniels up to present next...Jeff is getting chubby. Wow. Book writers of musicals...Rupert Holmes (Curtains), Doug Wright (Grey Gardens), Heather Hach (Legally Blonde), Steven Sater (Spring Awakening). Steven Sater for Spring Awakening beats out Doug Wright...wow. Didn't expect that.
Melina Kanakaridis (or however you spell it) played Sally Bowles on Broadway??? Who knew? Oh, she is introducing "Curtains". Oh, John Kander is onstage. So sad...lost his writing partner Fred Ebb this year. :-( The first standing ovation of the night.
David Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk, and Karen Ziemba...I'd love to see this. The production number they're doing is cute. It needed more Debra Monk though...Love her!!
Audra McDonald and John Cullom from 110 in the Shade. He's playing her dad...they'll be performing next. Audra is one of my favorites!! By the way, Dub loves a lot of Broadway performers. :-)
Another commercial. The show needs a host, I think. I miss Rosie O'Donnell!!! She did fun production numbers to open the show and was so funny. Come back, Rosie, now that you've freed yourself from The View.
ugh...iPhone commercials...sick of them already.
Viva Laughlin may be the first regular CBS show that I dvr! It looks fun. Cop Rock meets casinos. FUN!
Taye and Idina!!! HOTTTTTT!!!! I'd be a third in that bedroom! Best original score...Curtains, Grey Gardens, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening. Winner is Spring Awakening....Duncan Shiek and Steven Sater. This show is interesting...8 years of work...an Off-Broadway run and now Tonys! Duncan Shiek needs to shave. Its the effin' Tonys!!!
Donny Osmond and Anika Noni Rose. I heart Anika...she was great in Dreamgirls. Donny is closing Beauty and the Beast as Gaston. Supporting Actress in a Musical...Charlotte D'Amboise, Rebecca Luker, Orfeh, Mary Louise Wilson, and Karen Ziemba. YAY MARY LOUISE WILSON for Grey Gardens!!! I love her!!! She's in a smart black pantsuit and "Wooo"ing onstage. She's great!! BEST LINE OF THE NIGHT...."I always wondered if I would win and feel like a mistake was made. I don't." I was very disappointed not to get to see her in Cabaret. Blair Brown was great in it, but I love Mary Louise.
Felicia Rashad introducing 110 in the Shade with my girl Audra!!! Felicia annoys me. Audra is one of the best performers alive. Her voice is brilliant, she can sell a song better than anyone, she's funny, she can bring you to tears. She's dancing and doing cartwheels too. Is there anything this girl can't do??? The song is kinda bad, but she sold it well.
YAY!!! Mark Indelicato, the gay kid from Ugly Betty onstage with the cast of Mary Poppins. He's the cutest!! They'll be up next performing. The guy playing the chimney sweep role is cute as can be. I'd love to buy him a sandwich and fatten him up a bit though. :-)
I enjoy Catherine Zeta Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin, but "No Reservations" looks dumb as hell.
Next up, Bebe Neuwirth and David Hyde Pierce. Best choreographer: Rob Ashford, Matthew Bourne, Bill Jones, Jerry Mitchell. Bill T. Jones for Spring Awakening. Weird...Not sure how much dance there is in the show. The Off-Broadway version was staged really well but it was mostly just jumping around. He just thanked the director and called him by the wrong name: Michael Myers (the serial killer) instead of Michael Mayer (the Tony winning director). Oh, he just thanked his boyfriend! A GAY CHOREOGRAPHER?!?!?! Weird!
Claire Danes and Rain Wilson...weird combo. Supporting Actress in a Play: Jennifer Ehle, Xanthe Elbrick, Dana Ivey, Jan Maxwell, and Martha Plimpton. Winner is Jennifer Ehle!! An upset...they were predicting that her costar Martha Plimpton would win!!
Mark Indelicato again...such a little cutie. Introducing Mary Poppins. Great number from the show...this music sounds great with a huge Broadway cast! "Step in Time" is fun. Um, there is a weird statue of David onstage dancing in skin-tight gray....creepy for a kids' show. Great cast though!
Commercial...off to pee. Liev and Eddie Izzard coming up....yummy squared!!!
I know this blog entry is long, but Dub's bff Lisa is missing the show tonight...we always watch together. I miss her tonight. :-( She needs to know the moment by moment. (I had frozen pizza, Lisa. And I will be eating some Moose Tracks ice cream later. All for you!)
So many commercials!!!! I need more musical numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ooooo, a Tony moment brought to us by Hilton. Billy Crystal and Hugh Jackman. Again, we miss a host CBS!!!!!!
Harry Smith from the CBS Morning Show...why the hell is he on? Talking about Broadway being popular with tourists. Duh. Oh, we're seeing the "year in plays". Clips from plays. Swoozie Kurtz, Nathan Lane, Kevin Spacey, Angela Lansbury, weird clips.
Liev and Cynthia Nixon...Oh, Liev!!! He is a hottie!!! Have I mentioned that I love Liev? I bet he is amazing in Talk Radio. Best director of a play...(someday it will be me) Michael Grandage, David Grindley, Jack O'Brien, Melly Still. Only heard of Jack O'Brien before. And he wins! For Coast of Utopia. It is doing well tonight! Wow, 24 actors in the show. Maybe I won't direct that one.
Eddie Izzard!!! Not in drag! Presenting Special Theatrical Event Award. Only two nominees: Jay Johnson: The Two and Only and Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway. Kiki and Herb lose to a guy with puppets. Oh hell, I hope my friend Barb isn't watching this!!! She'll never let me forget that puppets won another Tony. She likes them...I do not!! Why use a puppet with an actor can react! And an actor isn't made of felt (or paper bags if you are Fandango)!!
A performance from the revival of Sondheim's "Company" is up next. Hooray!! I would love to direct this show. The director of this revival is the guy who keeps making the actors play instruments onstage. An interesting concept the first couple times you do it...stop it now! We've had enough. Let your actors act and sing. Carrying a tuba will restrict yer acting a bit! Well, I've heard. Ok, I haven't heard...I'm just assuming. Oh, shut up! Stop over-analyzing everything I'm typing. Is anyone still reading this blog? If so, comment and let me know that it was compelling enough to read to the 900th paragraph or whatever this is. Make me feel that I am interesting!!
They keep playing "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins...I'm going to be humming that freakin' tune for a month.
Sigh...I'm ready for Christine Ebersole to sing. Hurry Christine. Dubbie Needs You!!
Oh, its back on.
Chairman of the American Theater Wing and Board President. Boring! They're going to tell us about the wonderful things that the Theater Wing does...OMG...the chandelier fell on them!!! Jane Krakowski and John Mahoney just took their place!!!!! What I expected to be boring as shit is now funny. OMG John Mahoney just got bleeped, but not before he said "goddamn" on the air. :-)
Marg Helgenberger and Marvin Hamlisch...weird combo. Talking about new and revivals of musicals with some clips. God, I hate Martin Short! Oh, Donna Murphy. She's adorable. Ugh, a Grinch musical...looks as bad as the movie version with Carrey. Les Miz revival...looks the same as before. Great show...hard to improve on. Something now that I don't recognize. Pirate Queen...don't really care about it...heard some of the music and it kinda sucks...like lord of the dance. Legally Blonde. There is something about Laura Bell Bundy I just don't like. She was good in Hairspray though.
Harry Connick Jr. up next. Director of a musical. Tough category...probably will go to Spring Awakening. John Doyle, Scott Ellis, Michael Grief, Michael Mayer. Yep, Michael Mayer. Good for him. This is his first award for directing a musical...I think he won before for directing a play. Michael, it is never good to open a speech with a private joke that no one laughs at. He is cute though. We'd be a cute little director couple. He just thanked his parents for accepting him and giving him the Judy at Carnegie Hall double album when he was 8. His speech was beautiful.
Patty LuPone. Introducing "Company". She is still looking hot! Raul Esparza is adorable too. He is singing perhaps the most moving version of "Being Alive" I've ever heard! Great song and he really can sell it. This song is haunting when you're single and lonely. :( It was brilliant, but it would have been nice to see some of the rest of the cast.
Christ, they are still promoting this Fantasia number from Color Purple. The Tony award winning LaChanze didn't have this kind of promotion last year when she was actually performing on the Tonys as a nominee!!!! Oh, American Idol, how you've changed the world. It is really weird. There were something like 5 or 6 Idol contestants on Broadway this past year. And my girl Frenchie, who should have been a winner, is still in Rent. Love you, Frenchie Davis!!!
Commercials again. Sigh. Boring boring boring...more musicals please!!
I kinda want my ice cream now, but I don't want to miss anything. Oh, I can pause live tv with my dvr!!! Eh, later.
Judd Hirsch and Marcia Gay Harden. She looks weird. Best play...Coast of Utopia (good god, it is a 9 hour play!!! Of course it is winning everything), Frost/Nixon (I love Michael Sheen!!!), Little Dog Laughed (by Douglas Carter Beane...who I LOVE!!!), and Radio Golf by the late August Wilson. Winner is .... being announced later. Weird.
Felicity Huffman and Sam Waterston presenting best revival of a play. Noms: Inherit the Wind, Journey's End, Talk Radio, Translations. Winner is....Journey's End. Sorry Liev. I'd have voted for your show!!! Who wrote Journey's End...never heard of it...and its a revival. Um, there are about 75,000 people on stage to accept. Good god.
Oh my, Tommy Tune...he is not aging well. Oh, the death tribute! Anne Pitoniak, Daniel McDonald, Betty Comden, Charles Nelson Reilly, Fred Ebb...sad year. Barnard Hughes, Jay Harnick...aw, they shut off all the marquis signs on Broadway as a tribute. Dubbie teared again.
Gotta pee again. I know you don't care, but urine is a part of life, ya know.
My cat is clawing my chair...I'm tired of yelling at her for it. And it doesn't do any good anyway. Damn cat...she's lucky I love her like a child.
Wolfgang Puck is talking about Broadway...shut up.
Kevin Spacey and Jane Krakowski. Talking about their NY theater debuts...Jane in Starlight Express and Kevin as a dog in something. Best revival of a musical: Apple Tree, Chorus Line, Company, and 110 in the Shade. Winner is Company. Crap, that freakin' director is going to keep doing shows where actors play instruments. I'm sure it is a good show...I just hate gimmicks...especially repeat gimmicks...STOP IT!
Brian Dennehy and Audra McDonald. Best Actress in a Play. Eve Best, Swoozie Kurtz, Angela Lansbury, Vanessa Redgrave, and Julie White. Come on Julie!!!!!!! Winner is Julie White!!!!!! I have loved her since "Grace Under Fire"!!!! And she won for the Douglas Carter Beane play!!!!!! She beat out some LEGENDS!!!!! Her speech was adorable...she is so surprised to have won.
Matt Cavanaugh looking cute as hell talking about Grey Gardens. Performance is coming up next!!!! HOORAY!!!!
Oy, commercial for the new Hairspray movie. I really hope it doesn't suck, but I'm afraid it is going to. John Travolta is NO HARVEY FIERSTEIN!!!!! I saw Harvey as Edna....and Marissa Jaret Winokur as Tracy. It doesn't get any better than that! It couldn't possibly. I am excited about Queen Latifah though...that was a brilliant bit of casting!
The cast of Jersey Boys are back...singing from a show that isn't nominated tonight. COME ON!!! Grey Gardens needs more time, you buttheads!!!! They aren't even all that good! Now they are talking about the Tonys presented earlier. Best orchestrations to Duncan Sheik for Spring Awakening, best lighting of a play to Coast of Utopia, best lighting of musical to Spring Awakening, Best costume of play to Coast of Utopia, best costume for musical Grey Gardens (William Ivey Long...another legend), Coast of Utopia got scenic design...for a musical to Mary Poppins.
Anne Heche and John Turturro. I hate Anne Heche. BOOOOOO!!! Best actor in a play...Boyd Gaines, Frank Langella, Brian F. O'Byrne, Christopher Plummer, and Liev Schreiber! GO LIEV!!!! Winner is Frank Langella. Sorry Liev...I'll comfort you later. Let Dubbie hold you!!! If Frank Langella doesn't thank Michael Sheen, he is a jerk. Dammit, this is a moving speech...I can't be mad that he didn't mention Michael Sheen.
Patrick Wilson!!!! HOTTIE!!!! Introducing Grey Gardens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHRISTINE EBERSOLE!!!!!! My God, if you've seen the documentary "Grey Gardens", it is creepy how brilliantly perfect Christine Ebersole is! If she leaves the show and it continues to run, who the hell could replace her?!?!
Spring Awakening performance is up next. I think they're going to perform "Bitch of Living"...awesome song. SHUT UP ABOUT FANTASIA!!!!!!!!!!! Either let her sing or don't, but stop talking about her "coming up". Jesus!!!!!
I have to say that I don't like this trend of letting one star from an ensemble of a show sing to represent the whole musical. Christine was great, Audra was great, Raul was great...but what about all those other performers...Do production numbers!!! Big first act closers are fun to watch!!! The solos are wonderful, but does that really sell a show to a general audience who may be tuned in? Do they tune in? Who knows.
Christopher Plummer is on now. Presenting Best Play...we've talked about the noms already. Coast of Utopia, Frost/Nixon, Little Dog Laughed, Radio Golf. Winner is Coast of Utopia. Again, it is a 9 hour epic trilogy. Does a comedy by the screenwriter of "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" stand a chance against that? Seems slightly unfair. Oh well, I love you, Douglas Carter Beane!! My bff and I had a blast playing your leads in "Advice From a Caterpillar"!!! Keep writing great plays!! Um, I must be tired...he'll never read this. Duh. Oy, too much talking from producers! Shush...lets hear some music.
Zach Braff...with some bad hair. He just came out of the closet as a musical theater fan. :-) He is introducing Spring Awakening! Finally, a kick-ass production number!!!! With the FULL cast onstage!!! GREAT number!!!
Oh Christ, they are talking about Fantasia AGAIN!!!!! Only 25 more minutes left. I think I'll wait for my ice cream. Much as I want some Moose Tracks, i guess I can wait. After all, I hear that Fantasia's coming up. I hope that pain in the ass Oprah is paying a lot of money for the build-up of her "Oprah Winfrey presents The Color Purple with Fantasia". Have I blogged about how much I dislike Oprah. I think she does wonderful things with her money, but she puts her name and logo on everything she does. Are all those little African girls in her school tattooed with Oprah's logo? It wouldn't surprise me. I'm sure that they've all signed contracts saying "Any success I achieve in life will always be thanks to Oprah and Oprah alone. Anything I've done to succeed is simply a coincidence. It is all about Oprah."
Jayne Alexander presenting to Atlanta's Alliance Theatre as Regional Theatre Award winner. Well, recapping the presentation from earlier.
Ok, here comes Fantasia. I hope the build-up was worth it. She looks ridiculous in her crazy fluffy prom dress. She is a little melodramatic...ok, more than a little. She was crying before she started to sing. I mean, come on. It is a great song and is powerful, but she is no LaChanze!! Fanty is way too over the top. Screeching up a storm. Then she just strode off in tears. Crazy!
Bernadette and Harvey!!!!!!!!!!! Two of the best!!! Harvey almost tripped on Bernadette's dress and then lost his balance and almost fell over. HARVEY GETS DIRTY!!! Michael Cerveris, Raul Esparza, Jonathan Groff, Gavin Lee, and David Hyde Pierce. Best actor in a musical is........David Hyde Pierce! REALLY??? SERIOUSLY???? Wow. Oh, Debra Monk and Karen Ziemba are crying. So sweet. And so is he!! Okay, now I am too. He just thanked "My partner Brian"!!!! I have never heard him publicly talk about being gay. And he has been with the same man for 24 years. WOW.
Usher and Ben Vereen. Ben Vereen annoys me...he always talks sooooo slowly and dramatically. Stop complimenting each other's talent and present!!!! Lead Actress Musical....Laura Bell Bundy, Christine Ebersole, Audra McDonald (or as Usher called her "Audrey"), Debra Monk, and Donna Murphy!!!! HOORAY CHRISTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her second win...well deserved. You're brilliant!! She is so genuine and adorable!
Best musical yet to present...by Angela Lansbury who also opened the show. Six minutes, they better hurry or CBS will cut them off. I feel bad for the winner...they are going to get screwed over by CBS! DAMN YOU FANTASIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peed again...in case you're tracking my potty habits.
I wonder how long Midsommarfest goes...I want a corn dog.
Curtains, Grey Gardens, Mary Poppins, and Spring Awakening...winner is Spring Awakening! Not a surprise at all. They have no time to talk. Tom Hulce in a producer of this...is that the same Tom Hulce who was an actor? Hm. If it is the same, he has gained a lot of weight (not that I can talk, but still...).
I knew it...they're getting cut off.
And Angela gets to scream "Good night everybody. Come to Broadway."
All in all, a fun night. Needed Rosie to host (or Hugh if she was unavailable), more production numbers, less Oprah build-up...but it was okay. My grade: B.
If you made it this far, good for you! I'm off to get a bowl of Moose Tracks. It'll be more fulfilling that Fantasia.
love,
Dub
and it was....
Mullet Night!!!!
Not as close but still some butt. 
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