For crying out loud, "Cry-Baby" bumped "A Catered Affair" out of the top race for best musical!
"Passing Strange" got nommed for best tuner, and theoretically could actually win, but it must've directed itself. Ditto for best play contender "Rock 'n' Roll," helmed by three-time Tony champ Sir Trevor Nunn.
Well, at least they still have their fame (and their millions): Laura Linney ("Les Liaisons Dangereuses"), Kevin Kline ("Cyrano de Beregerac"), Mel Brooks ("Young Frankenstein"), Harvey Fierstein ("A Catered Affair"), David Mamet and Nathan Lane ("November"), Ian McShane ("The Homecoming"), Frances McDormand, Morgan Freeman and Mike Nichols ("The Country Girl"); and Terrence Howard, Phylicia Rashad, and James Earl Jones ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof").
If you tuned in to watch the announcement of Tony Awards nominations live this morning on "CBS Early Show," here's what you missed. At first things went smoothly as CBS anchor Harry Smith did a live tease to viewers to stick around for the noms, then, when the show tossed to commercial break, the audio suddenly went kaput. Panic ensued at the podium as a tech guy jumped up to inspect the mess. Then, whew, the problem was fixed miraculously just a nanosecond before CBS cameras tuned back in live. David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez proceeded to read off the bids, coolly, as if nothing remarkable had just happened. Real seasoned showbiz pros, those two Tony Award winners.
The New York Drama Critics Circle has weighed in with its choices for the best play and musical of the season. Tony frontrunner and Pulitzer Prize-winner "August: Osage County" took best play, as widely expected. Because the author of that work — actor-turned-playwright Tracy Letts — is American, the Circle considered making an award for best foreign play. Up for consideration were the second- and third-place finishers in the best-play race — Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'N' Roll" and Conor McPherson's "The Seafarer." Ultimately, the circle decided against such an award.
With "In the Heights" ineligible for best musical (it had been in the running last year for its off-Broadway incarnation), the competition was between two other shows with off-Broadway transfer "Passing Strange" edging out "The Adding Machine" on the third ballot 43 points to 37.
To read the full report of the voting at the Circle's website, CLICK HERE
Over the years Chris "Boomer" Beachum has emerged as a superstar at this showbiz website. He started out as one of our most trusted and beloved forum moderators, whose views and leadership we came to respect as much as we value him personally. But he was always more than just forums cop and pal. Especially when it came to the Emmys, one of the most difficult and confounding showbiz awards because of its complicated voting process that relies on contenders picking a savvy sample of their best TV work to be weighed by judges. As Susan Lucci demonstrated 18 times at the Daytime Emmys, some stars are terrible at picking samples (yes, that was the real reason she kept on losing — no, there was no conspiracy against her). But Boomer's brilliant at it. Ask Cynthia Nixon. She owes her only "Sex and the City" win to him. HBO switched her Emmy episodes after reading what Boomer had to say in our forums about her best bets — and she won. And she knew why when I ran into her backstage immediately afterward. Nixon gasped, "Oh, would you please thank Boomer for me?!"
Since then Boomer has emerged as Hollywood's best Emmy coach with scores of stars, producers and other contenders turning to him directly for episode advice, including some very famous people this year.
So who the heck is this guy, really? He was just profiled in his hometown newspaper, the Tupelo, Miss., Daily Journal. Read the full scoop HERE!
Frequently, you see me quote Chris about the Emmys, in addition to our other forums moderator Robert "Rob L" Licuria, a lawyer who lives with his charming wife Paula in Australia and just happens to have a side obsession over Emmys. Rob is a busy attorney and father-to-be who somehow manages to find the time to keep up simply the best website in the whole cyber-universe about who's up for Emmys — and who'll probably win. CLICK HERE to ascend to Awards Heaven.
The Outer Critics Circle is first past the post in this season's theater awards derby. The critics from outlets outside Gotham announced their winners hours before the New York Drama Critics Circle meets later today and a day before Tony Award nominations are unveiled. Aside from the five awards for new productions and the two for revivals, the Outer Critics bestowed 10 of their remaining 15 awards on revivals.
"Young Frankenstein," which led with 10 nods, tied with "Xanadu" for best Broadway musical, but that was the only award for these two new shows. It was the first rialto revival of "South Pacific" that dominated the kudos, winning best revival of a musical, actor (Paulo Szot), featured actor (Danny Burstein), and director (Bartlett Sher).
However, "South Pacific" leading lady Kelli O'Hara was bested by Broadway vet Patti LuPone starring in the fourth revival of "Gypsy." And Laura Benanti won featured actress for playing the title character in "Gypsy."
As expected, Tony front-runner and Pulitzer Prize-winner "August: Osage County" took best Broadway play. Deanna Dunagan, the only one of the play's cast of 13 nominated, won best actress and Anna Shapiro took directing honors for helming this three-hour plus drama. Kevin Kline was best actor in a play for the revival of "Cyrano de Bergerac," though it was "The Homecoming" that won best revival of a play.
Who'll reap bids next Tuesday, May 13, when nominations will be unveiled for the 62nd annual Tony Awards? Below are forecasts by these experts: David Sheward (Back Stage), Robert Diamond (BroadwayWorld.com), Brian Lipton(TheaterMania.com), Martin Denton (NYTheatre.com) and me. Our picks are ranked in order of the contender we believe is most likely to win. Gold Derby and TheEnvelope.com will cover the noms announcement live from the news conference at Lincoln Center in New York City.
And we don't mind saying so! Not after all of the toil we endure gathering thousands of of bits of stray info from scores of industry sources, then organizing everything into sensible lists that you can refer to easily. In many cases, at this early date, we even known which sample episodes contenders plan to submit to Emmy judges if they make the top 10 runoff after a popular vote of the 14,000 academy members in early June. The deadline for final episode selection still hasn't been reached, but we've got early scoops! Just beware: Contenders may change their minds and resubmit. In fact, many do so — often, let's be honest, after they read the nasty things we say about their choices.
Our forums moderator Chris "Boomer" Beachum maintains a thread in our forums that he updates daily with the latest list info. Make a point of checking it frequently throughout Emmy season -- CLICK HERE!
To forecast the upcoming prime-time Emmys, I've recruited two topnotch journos who cover those kudos regularly (Marc Berman of MediaWeek and Ray Richmond of the Hollywood Reporter) plus our two Emmy-savvy forum moderators (Chris "Boomer" Beachum and Robert "Rob L." Licuria). Before we take a shot at who we think will be the likely nominees, we must project which contenders will be the top 10 finalists after a popular vote of members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. After those 10 are determined, the final 5 in many top races will be determined by judges weighing sample episodes submitted as examples of the finalists' best work from the past TV season. Below, predix in three categories. More to come.
CHRIS 'BOOMER' BEACHUM on best comedy series: Of last year's top 10, the only show no longer on the air is "Extras." I also think "Scrubs" will not make this year's cut. That opens up two slots, so the return of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is a guarantee. Newcomer "Pushing Daisies" is a virtual lock for a nomination, based on its critical raves and solid ratings. I believe "Californication" and "Back to You" will just miss making the list.
ROBERT 'ROB L' LICURIA on best comedy series: I think that apart from Jaime Pressly and its freshman writing/directing wins, "My Name Is Earl" has failed to make much traction at the Emmys and it is in real danger of falling off the list. At this stage, I think Showtime will do extraordinarily well in the Comedy Series race and get 2 slots. If the Emmys go for non-HBO cable shows this year more than ever, "Californication" could sneak in. Apart from that, the only other new show that I think is pretty safe as a top 10 contender is "Pushing Daisies." I think the eventual top 5, subject to episode selection (etc.) will mirror last year but for "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which should make its inevitable return.
In his weekly recap of whazzup during TV sweeps' weeks, Matt Roush of TV Guide enjoyed the snarky irony of seeing never-nominated William Peterson hoist an Emmy on an episode of "C.S.I.," saying "Is that what this is?" Adds Matt: "A nice slap at the Emmys for taking procedural actors so for granted. A similar moment occurred on this week's 'House,' as the doctor invaded the dressing room of his favorite medical soap's leading man. We see Hugh Laurie holding an Emmy and looking in the mirror, feigning shock and humility at winning an award that has so far escaped him. Good stuff."
Kris Tapley has been using Tonys and Emmys time to brighten up his Oscars shrine — InContention.com — literally. Now it sports a new layout with white background instead of black. Best tweak: he's moved his blog to the home page. Hallelujah; along the right column he's kept his easy, breezy breakdown of his early, brave predix of Oscars frontrunners. Memorize those and you get teasing rights when you catch up with Kris when the weather, inevitably, changes. Meantime, it's nice to see everything so sunny over there.
There was so much grumbling all over Manhattan about how awful the movies were at the recent Tribeca Film Festival that I stayed away. Now I'm sorry I missed what Cinematical called "quite obviously Michelle Monaghan's 'Oscar' role. In 'Trucker,' she plays Diane, a female truck driver with one helluva edge -- not to mention a knack for drinking lots of hard liquor and taking part in more than a few unhealthy one-night-stands. She knows just what she needs to keep on truckin', and she knows just how to get it." Ed Douglas of Comingsoon.net hails her perf as "unforgettable." Scott Feinberg of AndTheWinnerIs suggests Monaghan "could generate serious attention" if "Trucker" is picked up by a decent distrib that gives it a decent release date.
Now that the One Club Awards are celebrating their 33rd year, I'm a bit late catching up with a prize that prides itself upon being "the ad industry's equivalent of the Oscars. " Last week I attended the doling out of its golden pencil awards at Jazz at Lincoln Center where I was quite impressed with the ceremony's slick presentation and zippy pace. They sure do give out a lot of pencils in 14 ad classifications like consumer magazines, branded content, cinema advertising, consumer television, innovation in advertising and marketing. Over two hours there was a constant parade of honorees, many of them ridiculous trendoid types from Madison Avenue agencies where meetings probably happen around ping-pong tables. No doubt the winners' Midwestern mamas would give 'em a good slap if they caught their kiddies slogging up to the podium dressed in torn jeans and sweatshirts with hoodies to claim their pencils. At least no acceptance speeches were permitted, thus sparing us a tsunami of 'tude. Meantime, the audience was entertained by the (sometimes shockingly insane) ads these rascals got honored for. See the winners roster HERE
(Phots: HFPA, InContention, Plum Pictures LA Times)
