"Yes, that quiet crunching sound you hear is me eating my hat," admitted New York Times Broadway theater critic Ben Brantley when he saw the new production of "Gypsy" and admitted he had been wrong to dread it.

Last summer he pooh-poohed an early staging of the show at City Center as "enjoyable but unenthralling." Now he's declaring this production at the St. James Theater to be a "wallop-packing revival" of a show that he and his Times predecessor, Frank Rich, have both called the greatest American musical ever, period.

Yes, true, it's the role Patti LuPone was born to play. As Brantley noted last summer, "If any actress of her generation seemed fated to play Momma Rose, the juggernaut of a stage mother in the musical 'Gypsy,' it was Patti LuPone, the juggernaut of a Broadway star.

"After all, Ms. LuPone became famous for her no-holds-barred portrayal of an actress of ravenous and ravening ambition in the title role of 'Evita' three decades ago, and ambition is Momma Rose’s oxygen. What’s more, Ms. LuPone has lungs and larynx of brass to rival those of Ethel Merman, the rafter-shaking star of the original 'Gypsy' in 1959, to whom Ms. LuPone has often been compared."

Sure, everybody's saying that LuPone has the Tony Award for best musical actress in the bag, but does she? It was more than 25 years ago that she won for "Evita." She's lost twice since then: "Anything Goes" (1988) and "Sweeney Todd" (2006).

Every gal who's portrayed Momma Rose on Broadway has, at least, been nominated: Ethel Merman (1960), Angela Lansbury (1975), Tyne Daly (1990) and Bernadette Peters (2003). Lansbury and Daly won. That original iron diva, the Merm, actually, egad, lost to sweet, lil Mary Martin in "The Sound of Music," which beat "Gypsy" for best musical. OK, maybe that's understandable — at least The Greatest Broadway Musical Ever lost to another stage classic, but here's the catch: "Sound of Music" tied "Fiorello!" for the win!

So is this "Gypsy" version really that much of a Tony shoo-in win for best musical revival?

The last production at the Shubert Theatre wasn't, but there was a lynch mob out for it led by New York Post theater reporter Michael Riedel who thought Bernadette Peters was miscast. She lost the best-actress trophy to Marissa Jaret Winokur ("Hairspray," winner of best musical). "Gypsy" lost best musical revival to "Nine."

There was no revival category back in 1975 when Lansbury won the Tony. That changed by 1990, and Tyne Daly's "Gypsy" won, beating a relatively weak field.

Now many Tony pundits are proclaiming that LuPone's "Gypsy" has this year's best-revival Tony in the bag, too.

Of the four eligible shows — "South Pacific," "Grease," "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Gypsy" — New York magazine's Vulture blog declares, "The only real contenders are 'Gypsy' and 'Sunday,' but it seems pretty likely that Patti and the power of 'Gypsy' will blow the well-regarded but not star-studded 'Sunday' revival out of the water." (READ MORE)

Now let me recommend to you Tony Awards Haven (CLICK HERE), a new website just launched by one of our trusty posters here, "RadioTV2," who sizes up this category thus: "At the moment, I think 'Gypsy' will sneak by 'Sunday in the Park with George' and grab the Tony . . . . 'South Pacific' is the wild card in this category because it is sure to be well received and it is the first Broadway revival of the show, but I believe that people just won't find a reason to vote for it over 'Sunday' or 'Gypsy.' "

RadioTV2, your new site is well done, bravo! But your take (and the N.Y. mag's, too) on this category is off. Why is everybody dismissing "South Pacific"? Just because it doesn't open until April 3? As already noted, this is the first revival ever! Back in 1950, it swept 10 categories at the Tonys. By comparison, 10 years later, "Gypsy" lost all eight of its races when a different musical starring Mary Martin hit Broadway like a tsunami.

If this historic revival, staged by Lincoln Center, gets rave reviews and becomes a hit — as widely expected — the fifth staging "Gypsy" on Broadway won't look too special, will it? And if Tony voters feel like they can pay off "Gypsy" with an award for LuPone, they may be strongly tempted to put their vote for best production on a show that's bigger, sprawling, more joyous and splashier, don't you think?

If "South Pacific" becomes a fierce kudos tsunami, it could even sweep aside LuPone. Remember: Mary Martin won best actress for "South Pacific." Now its current star, Kelli O'Hara, is a major force LuPone should be worried about. O'Hara is a hot new Broadway star who many Tony-watchers believe is overdue for a win, having lost in 2006 ("The Pajama Game") and 2005 ("The Light in the Piazza").

Below: LuPone singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn" at the City Center production of "Gypsy" last summer.

'EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES"

"ROSE'S TURN"

Continuing our podcast series with David Sheward, I had a separate chat with the executive editor of Back Stage about the brightest performances on Broadway that might gain Tony's notice. CLICK HERE to downloaded the MP3 files and listen to podcast. (Note: You may need to hold down your computer's control key while clicking.)

Sheward cites such standouts as Claire Danes ("Pygmalion"), Morgan Freeman ("The Country Girl"), James Earl Jones ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"), Andrea Martin ("Young Frankenstein"), S. Epatha Merkerson ("Come Back, Little Sheba"), Ian McShane ("The Homecoming") and Lin-Manuel Miranda ("In the Heights").

Also: Kevin Kline ("Cyrano de Bergerac"), "though the production was not as good as his performance," he adds.

"My personal favorite is Deanna Dunagan, who plays the pill-popping drug addict mother who's crazy" in "August: Osage County," he notes. "I thought it was a fantastic performance. I'm not sure if they submitted her for lead or supporting, but no matter where she's put, she should win. I haven't seen a performance like that in a very long time. However, people don't know who she is. She's not a star. We'll see what her chances are."

"Of course Patti LuPone will definitely get a nomination for 'Gypsy,' " Sheward says. "Whoever gets that role, gets a nomination. Whether they win is a whole other story. Tyne Daly and Angela Lansbury won, but Ethel Merman lost for the original production.

Hmmm. Was this another case of Ms. Spears botching another awards show gig? Based upon scuttlebutt heard last week around L.A. dance studios where Britney's been rehearsing fancy steps, gossipmeisters claimed she would perform at the Kids

Choice kudocast last night, a rumor not denied (or confirmed) by the show's PR reps. Or was the rumor just bogus?

Do we believe host Jack Black when he said that 88 million votes were cast? There aren't that many kids in America, are there? Also suspicious: Let's recall that Jack boasted during the show that he and Orlando Bloom were drenched with "27 million gallons" of green slime.

Ah, well. Apparently, Rihanna and Chris Brown are no longer an item. Forget those photos you saw of them last month frolicking in Jamaica and London. Last night they strolled up the orange carpet separately. When asked about Rihanna, Brown told reporters, "We're not in a relationship or anything."

Hooray for Johnny Depp! After three previous slaps from the kids (Ouch! He lost to "Click's" Adam Sandler last year!) and a bruising snub from Oscar voters, the devilish film imp finally won a blimp! He was voted fave male movie star for "Pirates 3" (nay, not "Sweeney" — that's too bloody for the kiddies).

Jessica Alba finally prevailed, too. She lost the blimp for fave movie actress two years ago for "Fantastic Four," but rebounded last night for the sequel.

Meantime, Drake Bell looks unstoppable in the race for best TV actor. He just won for the third year in a row — even though he's no longer a tween! This "kid" is 21 years old! But is Drake so popular that the Kids Choice chiefs created a new TV category just so "Drake & Josh" could reclaim the award it won two years ago: fave TV show? Last year it lost to "American Idol," but rallied to win again (even beating "Hannah Montana") after "Idol" was shuttled off to its own category this year: best TV reality show.

While "Hannah" lost the TV show trophy again, Miley Ray Cyrus won fave TV actress for a second year in a row.

Read Sheigh Crabtree's report on the kudocast HERE

Check out our photo gallery of TV show highlights, HERE. Also, pix of red carpet arrivals HERE. See list of winnahs HERE

"33 Variations" by Moises Kaufman has been named best new American play yet to be produced in New York by the American Theatre Critics Assn. The award includes a payout of $25,000, which is the largest national cash prize for playwriting.

Runners-up were "End Days" by Deborah Zoe Laufer and "Dead Man's Cell Phone" by Sarah Ruhl. Both reaped prizes of $7,500 each.

"33 Variations" was launched in August at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C., telling the tale of a musicologist who must solve a mystery before she dies of cancer: Why would a genius like Beethoven spend four years writing dozens of variations upon a minor music work by Anton Diabelli — what playwright Kaufman dismisses as "a Britney Spears song."

While most of the play taps fictitious plot and characters, much of it is based upon real people and events, like Kaufman's previous plays "The Laramie Project" and "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde."

"33 Variations" makes its West Coast debut April 8 when it begins preview performances at the La Jolla Playhouse in California.

To read more, check out the report at Playbill.com. See a list of past winners of this award, CLICK HERE. Check out the theater critics' website, HERE

Word comes via the Daily Mail that the third Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, is in talks to make her Broadway debut this fall in a prestige production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." Two-time Tony winner John Lithgow and two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest will play the parents of her World War II pilot boyfriend, who crashed after hearing of his father's imprisonment for war profiteering.

With such star-studded support, all under the sure hand of acclaimed British actor/director Simon McBurney, Holmes, who has not acted on the stage since high school, could do well. In the surprisingly small world of show biz, McBurney's most recent acting job was as one of Nicole Kidman's minions in "The Golden Compass."

Ten years ago, Kidman won a Theater World award for her Broadway debut in "The Blue Room." That sizzling adaptation by David Hare of Arthur Schnitzler's "La Ronde" was a showcase for Kidman and her co-star Iain Glen. Each played five roles in a circular story of love and lust that required them both to strip down. Though they and the play got good reviews, the hoopla turned off Tony voters, who snubbed the show.

Audiences certainly won't see as much of Holmes when she plays the prim and proper Ann Deever. However, as her character is the catalyst for the family feud that has the surviving son challenging his father, she will get a chance to show off her acting chops. And by making her debut in a stage classic, Holmes could have an edge over Kidman when it comes to awards season. Those appearing in revivals of previous Tony winners often nab nominations.

The play was Miller's first success, following the failure three years earlier of the inaptly named "The Man Who Had All the Luck," which ran for a mere four performances. When "All My Sons" debuted on Broadway in 1947, it won Tonys for both the playwright and the director, Elia Kazan, as well as the New York Drama Critics Circle award, edging out Eugene O'Neill's epic, "The Iceman Cometh."

Most Tony pundits usually write off the hopes of a nominee if the show has been closed for a while. But is that really a fair assumption to make?

I'm not referring to productions that closed just weeks before the Tonys. Those were still fresh in the minds of voters — like "The Coast of Uptopia," which won a record tally of seven Tonys last year on June 10, four weeks after shuttering on May 13.

But if you focus just on productions that were closed for a good while prior to Tonys night, yes, it seems like they had little chance of triumphing. Below are a few of the exceptions. Note that the Tonys are usually awarded in the first half of June each year.

BEST MUSICAL OR PLAY WINNERS

"The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby," best play: closed January 3, 1982.

"Travesties," best play: closed March 13, 1976.

"Hallelujah, Baby!," best musical:
closed January 13, 1968.

PERFORMANCE WINNERS

Julie White, best actress (play), "The Little Dog Laughed": closed Feb. 18, 2007.

Michele Pawk, best featured actress (play), "Hollywood Arms": closed Jan. 5, 2003.

Patricia Routledge, best actress (musical), "Darling of the Day":
closed Feb. 24, 1968.

Dolores Gray, best actress (musical), "Carnival in Flanders":
closed (after six performances) Sept. 12, 1953.
(Rumor has it that this was the shortest-lived Tony-winning performance.)

Do you know of more examples? If so, click on the "Comments" link below!

Lindsay Lohan just nabbed the lead role in "Manson's Girls," which will be produced by Brad Wyman and Donald Kushner, who previously produced "Monster," which earned an Oscar for Charlize Theron.

"Manson's Girls" tells the monstrous story of Charles Manson through the eyes of Lohan's character — Nancy Pitman, one of the cult fiend's former girlfriends who remained a fierce disciple throughout his bloody reign. It's unclear to what extent she may have participated in the killings that he inspired, but, after Manson was arrested, she passed out pamphlets, hoisted placards and sang in public of her undying support.

The role penned by writer-director Matthew Bright ("Freeway") has such emotional gravitas it could put her back in the race for serious awards.

Lohan has played such a major role in tabloid headlines over the last year that it's difficult to recall that she had real Oscar buzz for "Bobby" back in January 2007. But the film tanked after being nominated for best picture at the Golden Globes and so did Lohan's showbiz career as she entered rehab three times, served 80 minutes in jail, and swept the Razzie Awards last month, "winning" three for box-office bomb "I Know Who Killed Me."

Lohan had a notable booze relapse during the recent holidays, but has nonetheless managed to secure insurance to star in two films that are fully bonded. One is a comedy, costarring Jack Black, Orlando Bloom and David Arquette, "Ye Olde Times," about two crazed theater troupes battling at a renaissance fair.

The other, "Manson's Girls," begins shooting July 21.

The Tonys race for best play is a real drama. Just based upon the past success of one playwright in the running, Tom Stoppard, it might be assumed that his "Rock 'n' Roll" will surely rock Radio City Music Hall on June 15. After all, Stoppard's won best play more than anyone else — four times: "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (1968), "Travesties" (1976), "The Real Thing" (1984) and "The Coast of Utopia" (2007). Heck, last year "Utopia" set a new record for most wins in a single year (seven)!

U.S. and U.K. critics raved about "Rock," and, before its move from Britain to Broadway, it won the London Evening Standard and London Critics' Circle Theater Awards for best new play, but it closed in New York on March 9. That's three months before Tonys night. Such a gap usually dooms a show's hopes. The factor didn't hurt "Utopia," though. Technically, it closed before Tony night, but just several weeks earlier, so the show was still fresh and new in voters' minds when they inked their ballots.

Also shuttered is Mark Twain's "Is He Dead?" On March 30, "The Seafarer" shuts down, Conor McPherson's lofty Irish drama.

Among shows currently running, "August: Osage County," seems to be the fave to win the Pulitzer in two weeks, then best play from the New York Drama Critics Circle. However, it doesn't have any celebrities in it and the cast is so huge that it can't tour easily, a drawback to producers who comprise the largest Tony voting bloc.

"November" has the celebrity appeal of Nathan Lane starring as a despised, buffoonish U.S. president running for re-election. Another plus: the literary credentials of its playwright — David Mamet. But it's a largely a comedy, which means it may not be taken too seriously. Ditto for "The 39 Steps," a fun spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

Read more about the Tony race for best play CLICK HERE to check out Paul Sheehan's feature overview.

"Glory Days," a hit stage musical launched at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., will transfer to Broadway so it can enter the Tonys race in the home stretch.

Playbill reports: "The show about four young men reuniting a year after high school will begin previews at Circle in the Square April 22, toward a May 6 opening."

" 'Glory Days' will be ineligible for 2007-08 Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League awards since the April 22 first preview is after the respective organizations' nominating deadlines," the theater new site adds. "The show's May 6 opening night date meets the Tony Award eligibility requirement for this season." READ MORE.

"Glory Days" will be a long shot in the Tonys race for best musical, which tends to favor big, booming productions that can tour the provinces after winning, reaping equally big profits. But it might nab a nomination. It faces tough competition for one of those four category slots from "In the Heights," "Xanadu," "A Catered Affair," "Cry-Baby," "Passing Strange" and "Young Frankenstein."

On April 5, Heritage Auctions will sell a Golden Globe (starting price $2,500) and Oscar (starting at $25,000) at a sale that bidders can join live at EBay.

The Oscar statuette for best documentary short was awarded in 1949 to Richard de Rochemont for a "March of Time" newsreel installment, "A Chance to Live," about a Boys Town in Italy. It's expected to fetch $40,000 to $60,000 (plus the 22.5% buyer's commission). CLICK HERE to see more. Because it was bestowed before 1950, it may be legally sold, according to academy guidelines.

The Golden Globe was presented to Robert Surtees in 1951 for best achievement in cinematography of a color production for "Quo Vadis," which also won a Globe for best supporting actor (Peter Ustinov). Final sale estimate: $4,000 to $6,000. CLICK HERE to see more. CLICK HERE to see more.

To see the full auction catalog, CLICK HERE

As expected, "Cranford," the five-hour BBC miniseries about life in a English village in the 1840s, led with seven nods when the BAFTA TV craft nominations were announced Wednesday. Last week this adaptation of the Elizabeth Gaskell novel earned Dame Judi Dench her 12th BAFTA TV nod as well as nominations for her costar, Dame Eileen Atkins, and the serial itself. Among those nominated today were the screenwriter, Heidi Thomas.

Count on this lavish costume drama to figure in many an Emmy race this year as well. It airs on producing partner PBS in May as part of the much lauded "Masterpiece Theatre." Chief among its rivals at both the BAFTAS and Emmys will be "Five Days," a taut thriller about missing children that aired on the BBC and HBO. It picked up nods for direction and editing.

Last year, as usual, HBO again proved to be an Emmy juggernaut, scoring 86 nominations and 26 wins. Here's what the network is campaigning for kudos this year:

HBO FILMS
"As You Like It"
"Bernard and Doris"
"The Fever"
"Five Days" (miniseries)
"PU-239"
"John Adams" (miniseries)
"Recount"

SERIES
"Big Love"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Entourage"
"Flight of the Conchords"
"In Treatment"
"John From Cincinnati"
"Real Time With Bill Maher"
"Tell Me You Love Me"
"The Wire"

SPECIALS
"Bob Saget: That Ain’t Right"
"Bill Maher/The Decider"
"Dave Atell: Captain Miserable"
"D.L. Hughley: Unapologetic"
"Extras Christmas Special"
"George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya"
"Jim Norton: Monster Rain"
"Justin Timberlake: Futuresex/Loveshow"
"Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project"
"Robert Wuhl: Assume the Position 201"

OK, kids, I admit that I've been a little too tough on the Kids' Choice Awards in the past, saying cruel stuff like, well, basically: who cares about the choices of the least informed people on the planet?

Sorry! The more I see the junk that wins Oscars bestowed by those old geezers in the motion-picture academy, the more appreciation I have for the pure, innocent genius of you kiddies! Really! Would I lie to you?

Now here's how you can prove how smart you are. CLICK HERE and cast your votes for the Kids' Choice Awards to be bestowed on March 29.

Make sure you help out poor Homer in the animation category, OK?! Can you believe that "The Simpsons Movie" wasn't even nominated by those dummies at the Oscars? Have you had enough of all the slobbering over that yucky rat movie? And whazzup with all the buzz over that "Bee Movie"? Probably just ole folks yearning for TV's ancient history when they were young and "Seinfeld," "a show about nothing," was on.

You and I know that "The Simpsons Movie" was the best of 2007! CLICK HERE to see a full list of nominees. CLICK HERE to flip through our photo gallery of contenders.

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences only credited two of the six producers of "Crash," Bob Yari didn't get a statuette when it won best picture. He sued. He just lost. READ MORE.

Now that we're heading into the last few weeks of Tony Awards eligibility, the race for best musical is finally shaping up. Many shows are still in previews and haven't officially opened yet, but buzz hums along the rialto.

For more background on this derby, read Paul Sheehan's overview HERE. Also, check out preliminary predix of Back Stage executive editor David Sheward HERE. There's more scuttlebutt in our forums HERE.

Memo to S. Epatha Merkerson: Now that you're back shooting TV episodes of "Law & Order," don't forget about the consequences of your recent stint on Broadway in "Come Back, Little Sheba." Theater critics loved your performance so much that you're a shoo-in to be nominated at the upcoming Tonys. (USA Today said Merkerson delivered "a performance of aching sweetness and devastating sadness." Read more hosannah reviews — HERE.)

Yeah, yeah, you lost the last time you were nommed back in 1990 for "The Piano Lesson," but let's not forget that Shirley Booth won the Tony and the Oscar for portraying the pathetic, downtrodden Lola, who suffers the grief of her husband's alcoholism while yearning for their runaway dog, Sheba (symbolizing the happy life they once had), to come home.

Also, let's recall how you beat the odds at the Emmys in 2005 and pulled off a jawdropper in the race for best actress in a TV film ("Lackawanna Blues") over Blythe Danner ("Back When We Were Grownups"), Debra Winger ("Dawn Anna"), Halle Berry ("Their Eyes Were Watching God") and Cynthia Nixon ("Warm Springs").

Yes, you prepared a truly heartfelt acceptance speech at the Emmys, but it ended up too close to your heart — and out of reach in time of need. Let's now revisit one of the most memorable acceptance speeches in recent Emmy history.

(Video: ATAS / Photo: Biltmore Theater)

Poor Mel. That Gibson guy just can't get a break from the media. He's got three movies on Yahoo's list of the 10 Most Historically Inaccurate Movies: "Apocalypto," "The Patriot" and "Braveheart." See the full ranking, CLICK HERE

Poor Oscar comes in second. Two of his flicks made the cut: best-picture winners "Braveheart" and "Gladiator."

Hey, wait! Only two? What about "A Beautiful Mind"? And "Titanic," "Dances with Wolves," "Out of Africa," "Amadeus," "Gandhi," "Patton," "A Man for All Seasons," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Bridge Over the River Kwai," "The Great Ziegfeld" and "Life of Emile Zola"?

Yeah, I know, that's more than 10, and I can go on and on and on (and I'm sure you can, too), but the point is made.

Emmy voters love to hail stunt casting in those guest-acting categories. Often when big-name stars condescend to visit the boob tube, they get rewarded with nominations just, so it seems, for showing up — like Brad Pitt did when he accepted an invite for turkey dinner on "Friends." And sometimes music stars get noticed, too — such as Rosemary Clooney ("E.R.") and Cyndi Lauper (who won for "Mad About You").

Now consider all of the people who tuned in to see Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother" last night: 10.6 million. That's the highest viewership ever for the CBS sitcom. Audience size matters when you weigh who might get nominated for an Emmy because that first round of voting is determined by a popular vote of TV academy members.

But then, alas, things get tough on Britney's hopes because scrutiny gets closer. The five final nominees are determined by judges examining sample video submitted by finalists.

Can the pop tart who tied Madonna for a Razzie Award five years ago for her film debut in "Crossroads" now rally and impress judges from the academy's acting branch enough to land in the final five? Well . . . you decide.

Critics were mixed about her performance. David Hinckley of the New York Daily News thought: "This bold casting decision worked out. Spears proved she can act every bit as well as she can sing, and with some of the nuances she brought to the character, you'd almost swear she'd been there before. She wore glasses — sometimes — and a miniskirt. She minced when she walked. She spoke in a giggle. Most of the time she sat behind a receptionist's desk at a tattoo-removal parlor, reading 'The Power of Me' and propositioning clients she found attractive."

And Linda Stasi of the New York Post thought: "Britney looked as adorable last night as she did waaay back when. On the show, which she filmed in the last few weeks, Brit looked slim, (OK she was behind a desk), trim and gorgeous. And, more importantly, her acting was nothing short of adorably believable. Good for her. Britney's few minutes on camera made the whole show worth watching."

However, Matt Roush of TV Guide was less impressed. "She was harmless and even (dare I say) kind of cute as an office receptionist with a crush on Ted, who in turn had a crush on her boss ("Scrubs" star Sarah Chalke, who walked away with the episode). Eyes wide and face frozen in an eager-to-please grin, the sitcom Britney was kind of endearing as she desperately tried to endear herself to Ted. The role wasn’t really juicy enough to merit the attention it got as a stunt, but it was probably appropriately suited for her tentative acting chops. At no point did she convey the edge or danger a true actress might have brought to the role, making something actually funny of her obsession. As Simon Cowell might have said if this had been a performance on 'American Idol': 'Forgettable.'"

Perhaps Roush is right, but can Spears still be remembered by Emmy voters come awards time? Probably not, given the stiff competition she faces to make it into the final five vying for guest actress in a comedy series. After all, these guest categories tend to be dominated by veteran TV and movie stars.

Our forums poster Atypical points to some new video clips of "Happy-Go-Lucky," the latest from Brit helmer Mike Leigh, whose flicks often find their way into the Oscar derby particularly in the best-actress race (Imelda Staunton, "Vera Drake"; Brenda Blethyn, "Secrets & Lies"). CLICK HERE and look for the "Video" heading at top right. There you can spy the relentlessly chirpy performance of Sally Hawkins as the world's most upbeat, optimistic, never-say-rain schoolteacher. Last month she won best actress at the Berlin Film Festival, which suggests we may see her at the Oscars next. To read one of many cheerful reviews of the flick that opens in the U.K. next month, CLICK HERE Below, chats with Leigh and Hawkins about "Happy-Go-Lucky."

" 'Gypsy' 'South Pacific' and 'Sunday in the Park with George' will certainly get a nomination — they're the top contenders" for the Tony Award as best musical revival, predicts Back Stage executive editor David Sheward in our podcast chat. CLICK HERE to download the MP3 file and listen! (Note: You May Need to Hold Down Your Computer's Control key while clicking.)

See Sheward's separate predix for what will be nominated for best original musical and play — CLICK HERE!

Sheward does not say what production will probably land the last slot in that race for best musical revival — which contains four nominees, not the usual five — but thinks, "They might put 'Grease' in there, just to fill out the category, but I didn't really care for it. It's just an excuse to get two reality TV stars to appear on Broadway as a gimmick. What's funny is that the characters are supposed to be pseudo hoods, but they're just as nice as everybody else so where was the conflict?"

Sheward is a bit disappointed in Patti LuPone's "Gypsy": "I didn't feel that this was a significantly different take on the material." However, he adds, "I hear that 'South Pacific' is absolutely fantastic," and he calls "Sunday in the Park" an "exciting re-imagining of Stephen Sondheim's show from the 1980s."

In the race for best play revival, Sheward cites "Pygmalion," "Macbeth" and "The Homecoming" as likely nominees. Closest rivals for the last slot: "The Country Girl" and "Come Back, Little Sheba."

Oh, poor George W. Bush! Wouldn't he love to gag his detractors at America's Oscars just like the Russian leaders apparently did at their equivalent kudos this past weekend?!

Criticism of Russian leaders at the Nika Awards was quite tame compared with, for example, Michael Moore's bashing of President Bush at the Oscars where the notorious rascal shouted, "Shame on you! Shame on you!" from the podium after winning best docu for 2002's "Bowling for Columbine."

However, STS — the fourth most-viewed TV network in Russia — cut out satirical comments made by Russian film academy chief Yuly Gusman from the kudocast, probably because they were considered too severe by the current, strict leadership of the former communist state. Gusman professed to be baffled by the power transfer about to take place in May when Dmitry Medvedev, the hand-appointed successor to current president Vladimir Putin, takes over, possibly in name only, because the nation's constitution prohibits Putin from serving another term.

"Traditionally we have a message from the Russian president [at the awards]," Gusman told the audience. "Since clearly no one knows who we have as president, you can consider it coming from me."

Also zapped from the telecast was the showing of a satiric film depicting Putin as czar and Medvedev as his son.

Throughout his presidency, Putin has ruthlessly squashed criticism and shut down independent TV networks that dared to question his leadership. STS network is privately owned, like most of the TV networks that have been shuttered so far, but continues to operate because it chiefly focuses on entertainment, not politics.

"We're flabbergasted!" roars Richard Licata, Showtime's exec VP of communications, reporting on the early results of his risky Emmy campaign.

The campaign is pioneering — it directs TV academy members to the Internet to view full seasons of "Dexter," "Californication," "Weeds," "Brotherhood" and other programs up for award consideration. (Read more about the campaign HERE.)

"More than 10,000 episodes were viewed in the first 10 days," he adds. "Do you realize what this means? In the past, when we sent academy members big, expensive boxes full of lots of DVDs, we never could measure how many episodes were actually viewed. Now we're trying a campaign method that's cheaper by tens and tens of thousands of dollars and we're getting a specific measure of what's being watched. And the numbers are huge!

"I doubt that we'll ever go back to the old way of doing Emmy campaigns. We'll continue to send some DVDs, yes, like we did this year, but not whole entire TV seasons. Last year we got 17 nominations. I can't wait to see how well we do this year!"

(Photo: Showtime)

It's time now to start getting excited about "WALL-E," the next big release from Pixar (June 27), which sometimes seems to own the Oscar for best animated feature. In the seven-year history of that category, Pixar has won three times ("Ratatouille," "The Incredibles" and "Finding Nemo") and lost only twice ("Cars" was surpassed by "Happy Feet" and "Monster's Inc." got squashed by "Shrek").

"WALL-E" was written and directed by the writer/helmer of "Nemo," Andrew Stanton, who penned "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2" and "A Bug's Life" before the Oscars created a category just for animated fare.

"WALL-E" is the tale of a silly, adorable robot left alone on Earth to clean up the mess after the planet's been deserted by the humans who trashed it to the point of being uninhabitable. When a sexy search robot named Eve drops by to check out the scene, lonely WALL-E falls in love and all heck breaks loose.

Check out the special Pixar website about the film - HERE.

Also snoop around this very clever spin-off site that imagines what a retail superstar might look like in WALL-E's future. CLICK HERE.

BuyNLarge not only sells robots that will do your laundry, fold the clothes and put them away in your closet and drawers, but also an electronic nanny called "NANC-E" that will feed and "stimulate" your infant baby. You can also buy a space condo and check out the retail company's corporate annual report that's so upbeat and chirpy that it's a musical.

"When Showtime debuted its broadcast of the 2008 Adult Video News Awards on March 14, the cabler made history with something often pursued but rarely achieved: an awards show that wasn't dull,"  Variety reports. "Could the Oscars learn something from the AVNs?"

Obvious answer: of course. But the poor, fuddy-duddy film academy has certain inevitable drawbacks, notes the trade paper: "Movie stars try to disguise all evidence of plastic surgery; porn stars put theirs on display. The Oscars must contend with five best-song perfs while AVN celebrates award categories like Best Group Sex Scene.

"However, the Showtime program also captured elements that mainstream award shows would love to embrace but too often don't.

"Discernible personalities: AVN's red-carpet hosts were rock star and porn director Dave Navarro and Wicked Pictures contract starlet Kirsten Price. They may be less recognizable than Ryan Seacrest, but they seem like a lot more fun to hang around with.

"Short speeches: AVN President Paul Fishbein says the show imposes no time limits on its winners. He doesn't have to; most porn stars don't thank their agents."

I know, I know what you're thinking: Enough with the snarky observations! Who won the awards?! Calm down, please, and CLICK HERE. (Beware: Links in this blog post connect with graphic content.)

Looks like "The Craving," "Coming Home," "Layout" and "Upload" swept. Winners of best actor and actress were "Layout" stars Tom Byron and Penny Flame. (Quit laughing! This is serious showbiz!)

Did you correctly predict the award for art direction in your office AVN pool? (Yes, "The Craving" again!) And best cinematography? ("Fashion Underground" — kinda like "Sex and the City" without the "city" part.)

Don't you just love the titles of these films? Like "Transexual Babysitters 2" (apparently, Part 1 was a classic deserving a sequel).

Speaking of hilarious porn titles, here are some of my favorites honored at the gay extension of those same Video News Awards: "Grunts" (best picture and actor, Jake Deckard), "When Bears Attack" (best specialty release), "Joey Amis Takes on the Cast of 'Mating Season' " . . . . Read all about the riotous event presided over by the lovely Lady Bunny — at GayPornTimes.com, CLICK HERE. Full winners' list: HERE. These gay porn awards are now so mainstream that Kathy Griffin hosted last year!

CLICK HERE to Read MORE!

"It's the new Emmys!" crowed Tay Zonday to the Associated Press after winning a YouTube Award, bestowed this year for the second time ever. "It's the next Oscars. The next People's Choice Awards. It'll be interesting to see what happens five years, 10 years (from now)."

Next year there's talk of an actual awards ceremony, complete with a red carpet! But this year winners were merely given trophies in the shape of a "play" button. Six nominees competed in each of these categories: music, sports, comedy, instructional, short film, inspirational, commentary, creative, politics, series, eyewitness and "adorable."

Zonday won best song for "Chocolate Rain," a tune seen so often (16 million views) that it's inspired many parodies.

Best comedy went to a video featuring "Harry Potter" hand puppets having a shouting match over their names to the beat of mysterious ticking.

The biggest surprises among the winners were actually the losers.

CLICK HERE to Read MORE!

BEST SONG: 'CHOCOLATE RAIN'

BEST COMEDY: 'HARRY POTTER' HAND PUPPETS

What to think about the hubbub over GLAAD giving an anti-discrimination award to a TV show ("As the World Turns") that openly discriminates? (Read my hyper-rant HERE.)

I asked some other journos to pipe in. One disagrees with me (AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen), one agrees (Nelson Branco, TVGuide.ca). First, let's hear from Jensen.

MICHAEL JENSEN (EDITOR, AFTERELTON.COM) — My take has always been that the show should treat all the characters the same way and that includes kissing. But I won't throw the baby out with the bath water when the show is doing so many other things right with Luke and Noah.

Luke and Noah frequently hold hands, put arms around each other, verbally express their affection and commitment to each other, have nearly kissed numerous times, and (they've) shown a level of intimacy that is seen on darn few other programs. There certainly aren't any other soap operas to honor this year. Hell, there are entire primetime network lineups that have no gay characters at all. So I just don't think it's the right thing to horsewhip "ATWT" for not letting Luke and Noah kiss. Again — should they be kissing? Absofrickinglutely, something I say every time I write about the issue. But they are supported by their families, not stereotypically gay (which wouldn't necessarily be a problem either), confident in their sexuality, tough enough to defend themselves and a whole host of other positive attributes.

I truly fear that all this is going to get accomplished is get Nuke dropped and scare off of every other soap from ever doing a gay character. Anyway, just my opinion. (READ MORE)

CLICK HERE to Read Nelson Branco's Reax to the Controversial GLAAD Award!

Mystery continues to surround the plot of the new Clint Eastwood movie to be released this December just weeks after his next awards contender, "Changeling," a drama about child abduction, starring Angelina Jolie, that's due out in early November. All that's known for sure is that he's ambushing the derby with a second film titled "Gran Torino" to be released in December. And that he'll star in it, too, not just direct (like "Changeling"). The last time he acted in a film that he directed, it won the Oscar for best picture ("Million Dollar Baby," of course). The last time he directed two films in one derby season was two years ago with "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima." The latter scored noms for best pic and helmer.

FilmStew.com reported that "Torino" would be a sixth installment of the "Dirty Harry" franchise. However, FilmJerk.com offers a take that sounds much more like awards fare, describing it as "a simple, quiet and compelling drama about Walt (Eastwood), a rural bigot who finds his outlook on life changed after a family of Hmong immigrants move into the home next to his own, striking up a friendship with the family's teenage son Tao over the older man's now-classic car."

Read Variety's initial report about the film's release, CLICK HERE

Everyone loved Lucille Ball, including Emmy. In the final segment of her November 1973 appearance on "The Merv Griffin Show," she is clearly delighted by a tribute from TV academy president Robert Lewine. He lauds her 13 nominations, though she is quick to correct him when he cites her first nod as coming in 1956 — "1951" she says.

As part of the salute, they replay the moment from the 1967 Emmycast when she won her third Emmy. As her name was announced by Carl Reiner, she was stunned, saying "I don't believe it." At the podium, she became visibly moved during her acceptance speech. While she mixes up her wins from the 1950s — thinking that her second Emmy came "because I had a baby" when that had been her first — she is clearly grateful for this honor from her peers.

Ball should well remember that first nod in 1951, as she also hosted the Emmycast. When her one-time on-screen love interest Red Skeleton picked up the prize for best comedian or comedienne, he quipped, "You've given this to the wrong redhead." And his show also beat the debut season of hers for best comedy series even though "I Love Lucy" was the most buzzed-about show in America.

The next year, just two weeks after giving birth on both the show and in real-life on the same day, Ball would win her first Emmy as best comedienne while the show took best situation comedy.

In 1953, the show won again and Vivian Vance took home the first supporting actress Emmy ever awarded. Ball lost to one of her Desilu employees — Eve Arden of "Our Miss Brooks" — and William Frawley was edged out by Art Carney, who won the first of his five Emmys for "The Jackie Gleason Show."

In 1954, the show lost to another Desilu production, "Make Room for Daddy," while Ball lost the best actress race to Loretta Young for her self-titled show. Vance and Frawley lost to "Jackie Gleason" regulars Audrey Meadows and Carney.

In 1955, Ball skipped the Emmycast when "I Love Lucy" was not nominated for best comedy series. In her absence, she won best actress (continuing performance) but lost the comedienne race to Nanette Fabray ("Caesar's Hour"). As she was not there, perhaps that is why she forgot this win during her 1967 acceptance speech.

While the never-nominated Desi Arnaz hosted the 1956 awards, his three costars all lost their races as they did the following year for the last season of the sitcom. And none would be nominated for the hour-long version of the show that aired sporadically for the next three years.

Following her divorce from Arnaz in 1960, Ball starred in a Broadway musical, "Wildcat." The rigors of the Rialto soon sent her packing and she headed back to TV in 1962 with "The Lucy Show." For that show's first season, she lost lead actress in a series to "Hazel" star Shirley Booth. Not nominated the following two years, she was back in the race in 1966, losing to Mary Tyler Moore for the final season of "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

In 1967, she would finally win again, edging out "Bewitched" stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and "That Girl's" Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch.

The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball won again. Her competition — Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon ("Get Smart") and Paula Prentiss ("He and She").

While Ball was never nominated during the six seasons of "Here's Lucy" or for her subsequent television appearances, she was the second inductee into the academy's Hall of Fame in 1984, following Mr. Television himself, Milton Berle.

CLICK HERE to Read MORE!

After the recent success of "Hairspray," "The Producers" and "Spamalot" as Broadway musicals, the Rialto is adapting more and more films while expanding their musical scores. This year's Tony Award contenders for best musical may include quite a few examples of this trend, including "Cry-Baby," "A Catered Affair," "Xanadu" and "Young Frankenstein." Read Paul Sheehan's exclusive feature article for TheEnvelope.com — CLICK HERE.

Not only should GLAAD be publicly denounced for giving an award to "As the World Turns," but it should be pressured to rescind the prize.

It's an outrage that an organization devoted to battling gay discrimination in the media would honor a TV show that blatantly and notoriously discriminates against gay romance.

Not only are the program's gay lovers Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann) forbidden to kiss on the CBS soap series, but they were, apparently, even forbidden to kiss at the GLAAD Awards where they were being honored for nondiscrimination! When journalists asked the actors to smooch for the cameras on the red carpet, Hansis and Silbermann coyly dodged the request and — adding insult to injury — would only pucker up on either side of the actress who portrays Noah's bogus green-card wife on the show. When the request for the gay kiss was channeled through reps for "ATWT," it was clear from their grumblings, evasive replies and conspiratorial whispers among themselves that they were the ones squashing it.

"As the World Turns" reps don't admit that they discriminate, but, well, they kind of do, too. Jeannie Tharrington, a spokeswoman for Procter &am