Tony Awards...Book of Mormon sweep! "Show Tunes not just for gays" quips Neil Patrick Harris!

If you're a macho dude - inclined to whistle show tunes in the shower - don't worry about being a closet homo!

According to Neil Patrick Harris - by way of a show-topping musical sketch on an annual award-show last night - the "Tony" celebrations (and Broadway musicals) are not just for gays!

Notwithstanding - judging by the number of actors (and other creative types working behind-the-scenes on the theatrical front) who thanked their male lovers last night for standing behind them (!) - there are obviously a handful of performers in the biz who are definitely light in the loafers.

Bottom line?

In today's open-minded "sexually-liberated" society, who cares, eh?

Meanwhile, the cast of the "BOOK OF MORMON" were ecstatic over their big sweep last night.

The original musical nabbed 9 Tony Awards which included nods from the American Theatre Wing for the "Best Musical", "Best Book", and "Best Direction".

At the near-close of the night's festivities, Chris Rock mused that the prize for "The Book of Mormon" (created by the talented team at South Park) was a given.

"It's kind-of-like dating a hooker. At the end of the night, you know you're going to get laid," he quipped, as the rapt audience roared with gales of laughter.

"War Horse" - a project where the actors facilitated puppets (and a dollop or two of dazzling special effects) to weave a captivating tale for the stage - also walked away with a fistful of coveted statues.

Revivals also fared well this year at the Tony Awards.

"The Normal Heart", for example, scored with 3 nods.

There were a number of highlights throughout the entertaining two-hour broadcast worth mentioning as well.

A sketch with Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris - where the two actors scrambled to best each other on stage with the help of a handful of memorable hits from successful Broadway Musicals of the past - was a stand-out segment featuring some of the best one-liners of the night.

In one pensive moment, Bono took the stage to promote the musical - Spiderman - which he penned music for.

"How come there weren't any nominations for Spidey," he wondered aloud, as the theatre rippled with spontaneous laughter below the floodlights.

"We didn't make the entry deadline," his partner-in-crime fessed up without blinking-an-eye.

"Well, I feel humbled to be here, anyway" Bono quipped.

"You do humble, well," his pal shot back.

Actually, a ballad from the show that was performed on stage a short while later, showed a lot of potential.

I expect that if top-notch performers record the tune - with the Pop Charts in mind - that it will soar to great success (especially in respect to sales).

The night was not without mishap, though.

At one point, Brook Shields - who looked stunning by the way - tripped over her words at the podium.

"Although I do eight shows a week on stage live, no problem, I can't read a teleprompter," she giggled.

Then, there was a slip of the tongue - at which point - the Network stepped in.

"OMG," Shields exclaimed in so many words (as she covered her mouth in shock), "I guess I'm going to be bleeped!"

One nominee darted up to the stage when her named was announced and attempted to offer up an appropriate heartfelt speech.

But, the "Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical" - Nikki M. James - ended up stumbling for words as she became overcome with emotion.

"I was going to write a speech in the event I won, but I felt so silly," James confided to the sympathetic audience.

Things got a lot worse when the orchestra struck up a cue signalling her designated time on stage was up.

But, the rising star was quite adamant about her intentions, which went totally against the grain.

"I'm not getting off the stage," she lamented.

Ah, what followed, was so painful to watch.

Ouch!

Where is the hook when you truly need it?

By the by, when Paul Shaffer appeared on stage to introduce the cast of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", the audience went wild when the performers broke into song.

"It's Raining Men," they belted out loudly, as they strutted across the stage in wild fanciful outfits that delighted the packed house.

What an adrenalin rush!

Personally, I thought that one of the creative forces behind the "BOOK OF MORMON" was the best-dressed male in the room.

The handsome dude boldly teamed a black sparkly dress shirt (featuring a high collar) with a dark suit and dress shoes.

A fashion plate, alright.

In contrast, Tyne Daly sauntered out in what appeared to be an old bargain-basement curtain held together with a few unsightly bandages that criss-crossed her flabby silhouette.

Where were the Fashion Police when 'ya needed 'em?

On the other hand, Christie Brinkley dazzled in a low-cut pristine blue frock, which suited her to a "t".

Her bubbly charismatic on-stage persona spoke volumes and literally lit up the room!

"Anything Goes" - a perennial favorite - also won a couple of trinkets not surprisingly.

Unfortunately, Daniel Radcliffe sadly proved that he is not a triple threat.

Uh-huh!

The kid can act and dance - just swell - but the truth of the matter is that he lacks a stage voice (when it comes to belting out tunes, that is).

Radcliffe's warbling was breathy, weak, and not very impressive.

Stick to the fantasy flicks (or return engagements of Equus) eh, Daniel?

Otherwise, a good night was had by all.

Til next year!

http://www.thetattler.biz

Tony Awards...Angela Lansbury named Honorary Chair! Kristin Chenoweth non-talent annoys! Catherine Zeta-Jones chokes!

Presenter Daniel Radcliffe

Sean Hayes tried his hand at a grand piano, Angela Lansburg was named Honorary Chair of the Annual Tony Awards, and one actor brought the house down when he inferred that Billy Elliot (who had just won an award for a performance) had a really big one.

Uh-huh!

The 64th Annual Tony Awards splashed onto the old boob tube amidst a lot of fanfare, hi-jinks, and a raft of upbeat musical numbers - as die-hard Theatre-goers caught the glamorous upbeat awards ceremony from perches in Times Square.

Daniel Radcliffe strode the red carpet outside of  the Radio City Music Hall - much to their delight - too.

Along with actress Katie Holmes, Radcliffe was slated to present a Tony to the prize-getter for Best Featured Actress in a play.

In one hilarious segment, Hayes appeared in a red dress as curly-haired Annie to announce that the popular all-time hit returns to Broadway in 2012.

Bernadette Peters giggled a scant few feet away just below the floodlights as Hayes egged her on.

After referring to her  "initials", he proceeded to crack a joke about the oil giant (also BP), which caused the rapt audience to roar in approval.

A low point during the first half-hour (where was the hook, folks?) was an overacted lacklustre performance of "Send in the Clowns" by actor Kirk Douglas's wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who has the distinction of ruining one of the best-known and best-loved stage musical hits of all time.

American Theatre Wing actually bestowed a coveted prize on Jones tonight - which signalled to me (in view of her ragged performance) - that it must have been one of those politically-motivated offerings.

Catherine, that was el stinko, alright!

A number from "La Cages aux Folles" was forced, and dry, and best left in the wings.

The hilarious musical won for best revival this year, however.

“Memphis,” a show about music and race in the 1950s, won for best musical.

David Hyde Pierce won a deserving award for humanitarian reasons.

Jay-Z and Will Smith punched up the electricity in the air when they slipped into their seats.

Talk about mega-star personas gracing the Tony Awards!

Meanwhile, a posse of polished well-heeled members of the Theatre creme de la creme - with noticeably stretched skin - caused eyebrows to raise in the unflattering non-theatrical lighting.

Kristin Chenoweth, a non-talent, made a fool of herself.

With no apparent comedic timing, or flair for the theatrical, the party-crasher obviously made it into the business due to her connections in the industry.

To cut down on broadcast time, clips of winners were flashed at break-neck-speed (with credits in crawl) sidecreen.

This was a novel effective approach the Oscars should take note of.

Some of the gals were knock-outs in designer ball gowns - even without the normally-prerequisite heavy artillery in tow - diamonds, pearls and the like.

Restraint in troubled economic times, or where the meager stage salaries beckon it, underscored that in the Theatre there is rarely a vulgar display of wealth and/or misguided social priority.

Unfortunately, a handful of songs, grated on the nerves.

Some were doomed with poor lyrics, no melody to speak of,  and pretty much forgettable chorus lines.

Denzel Washington put in a tasteful appearance in one segment - and surprise - ended up winning for best actor in "Fences".

Scarlett Johansson graciously accepted an  award for best performance by a featured actress in a play.

Thirty-nine productions opened on Tin Pan Alley this year which included new shows, stage revivals, and highly-touted classics such as the "View from the Bridge".

When "Red" won for top  play, the best quote of the night was offered up.

"To my parents who taught me that a life in the arts was worthwhile," quipped the creative force behind the project which puts the spotlight on one of my favorite American expressionist painters Mark Rothko..

Who the heck is Laura Bell Bundy?

What an annoying squeaky-voiced actress!

In contrast, there were many triple-threat actors at the theatre last night, who confirmed the quality of talent appearing on Stage in NYC productions this year.

The sets this year for the 64th Annual Tony Awards were loud and glitzy, and tarted up with a smattering of dazzling production values, that were effective for the most part.

Some critics were way off their mark in their assessments, though.

One reviewer lauded a performance of "Don't Rain on my Parade."

It was God awful!

But, it couldn't hold a candle to the phony over-the-top acceptance speech Catherine Zeta-Jones pitifully hurled on bemused theatre-guests non-stop until the Theatre Wing handlers were forced to signal the fleshy pushy broad get her fat a** off the stage so the show could - after all - go on!

True to form, it did, without a hitch.

http://www.julianayrs.com

Angela Lansbury...gracious lady! Last of the great stars...

They say the bigger the star, the most gracious they are.



This most certainly applies to Angela Lansbury.



The talented stage actress with the light touch not only held court in Tinsel Town during the golden heyday of the golden studio system, but managed to surge forward decades later and win the adoration of a younger fan base, by virtue of the power of the medium of Television and a weekly hit series on the reigning network of the day, CBS.



Even still, two of her stand-out performances early on in her illustrious career, are sure to be mainstays in film archive for generations to come.

Gaslight, is a classic, of course.



But, "National Velvet", held a particular fascination for me personally since Lansbury played the older sister of a movie star held dear to my gushing heart, Elizabeth Taylor.



But, I've always been a big fan of "Murder She Wrote", too.



In fact, I landed a bit part on one episode, when the detective drama was still at the top of the pile and nabbing impressive ratings.



I recall the experience vividly.



For example, shortly dashed onto the set at Universal Studios, I signed in, and excitedly poured a piping cup of coffee and reached for a tasty-looking doughnut on the house.



Universal wasn't always so generous with the hand-outs, though.



In fact, it wasn't until Ms. Lansbury stepped in and put her foot down, that the greedy studio relented and was inclined thereafter to share the spoils of their success.



In spite of the fact it was an industry tradition for production companies to provide a free breakfast and coffee to the cast and crew as they wandered in at the crack of dawn each day, Universal dug its feet in and went against the grain.



Indeed, the stingy old studio execs at one of the most-prosperous studios in Burbank, enforced a policy which required that all personnel - crew members, actors, extras, and the like - toss a few coins their way to cover the cost of the European-style brunch.



One day, Ms. Lansbury happened to be pouring a cup of java on the sound stage, when she spied an actor dropping a few coins into a tin cup.



Lansbury's initial reaction was to be taken aback.



"What you doing?" she pointedly asked the day player.



"Oh, we have to pay for our coffee and doughnut," he chuckled.



The kind-hearted actress - steeped in tradition - was aghast.



"What," she cried out incredulous.



Within minutes, the award-winning thespian stormed off to the production office and notified the Director in no uncertain terms that if there was a collection cup gracing the table the next day, she wouldn't be putting in an appearance for work.



That must have been quite a jolt to the producers.



According to eyewitnesses, bright and early the next morning - there were a generous proportions of fruit, bagels, sandwich meats, and doughnuts artfully spread out on a table - all for the taking - free!

Lansbury is a generous performer when it comes to acting out scenes with fellow actors, too.



According to the script, my character - a tipsy yuppie on a lunch break at a watering hole Angela's character invested in with her nephew - is supposed to bang his mug on the counter to get the attention of the bartender (played by Jack Carter).



During the first run-thru, I rapped my beer glass on the hardwood surface, and stepped on Angela's line by mistake!



I was so embarrassed that I wanted to crawl under the carpet and hide.



"I'm so sorry," I apologised profusely.



Angela, cool-as-a-cucumber, didn't even bat-an-eye in disgust.



"Dear, not to worry. That's what rehearsals are for."



Gosh, what a swell dame, I thought to myself.



Her loving-kindness reminded me of a quote from William Hazlitt:



"Gracefulness is the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul."

http://www.julianayrs.com