"Everyone deserves the chance to fly"

18 May 2006

2006 tony award nominations

The 2005-2006 Tony Award nominations were announced May 16 by Tony Award winners Phylicia Rashad, Natasha Richardson and Liev Schreiber at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' Bruno Walter Auditorium.

The Drowsy Chaperone, the new musical that pays homage to musical theatre lovers, received 13 nominations, the most for any production of the season. In addition to a Best Musical nod, Drowsy also picked up nominations for four of its actors: Bob Martin, Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel and Danny Burstein. The Color Purple — based on the film and book of the same name — also did well, snagging 11 nominations, and the hit revival of The Pajama Game, which marked the Broadway debut of Harry Connick Jr., received 9 nominations. Crowd favorite Jersey Boys — based on the life and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons — earned 8 nominations.

Plays that received multiple nominations include the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Awake and Sing! That Clifford Odets drama, set in the Bronx in the 1930's, received 8 nominations, while the new Alan Bennett play The History Boys — featuring its entire original London cast — nabbed seven nominations.

As previously announced, the Tony Awards Administration Committee voted to award a Special Tony to Sarah Jones, whose Bridge & Tunnel is currently enjoying an extended Broadway run at the Helen Hayes Theatre after a hit Off-Broadway engagement. Surprisingly, during the first year it was a possibility, it was decided there would be no award given in the new category of Best Replacement by an Actor or Actress in a Recreated role.

Academy Award winner Julia Roberts, who is currently making her Broadway bow in Three Days of Rain, failed to win a nomination for her performance in the Richard Greenberg play. Other notable omissions include Maria Friedman (The Woman in White), Gabriel Byrne (A Touch of the Poet), Brian F. O'Byrne (Shining City), Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) and Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys).

The 2005-2006 Tony Award nominations follow:

Best Play
The History Boys
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Rabbit Hole
Shining City


Best Musical
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
Jersey Boys
The Wedding Singer


Best Revival of a Play
Awake and Sing!
The Constant Wife
Edward Albee's Seascape
Faith Healer


Best Revival of a Musical
The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd
The Threepenny Opera


Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Oliver Platt, Shining City
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore


Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Kate Burton, The Constant Wife
Judy Kaye, Souvenir
Lisa Kron, Well
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife


Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys


Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
La Chanze, The Color Purple
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life


Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Samuel Barnett, The History Boys
Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing!

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole
Frances de la Tour, History Boys
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!


Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone
Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple
Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd
Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys


Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello, Lestat
Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple


Best Direction of a Play
Nicholas Hytner, History Boys
Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole


Best Direction of a Musical
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer
Donald Byrd, The Color Purple
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone


Best Orchestrations
Larry Blank, The Drowsy Chaperone
Dick Lieb and Danny Troob, The Pajama Game
Steve Orich, Jersey Boys
Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd


Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Color Purple
Music & Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray

The Drowsy Chaperone
Music & Lyrics: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

The Wedding Singer
Music: Matthew Sklar; Lyrics: Chad Beguelin

The Woman in White
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: David Zippel

Best Book of a Musical
Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer
Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys
Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
Marsha Norman, The Color Purple


Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, Rabbit Hole
Bob Crowley, The History Boys
Santo Loquasto, Three Days of Rain
Michael Yeargan, Awake and Sing!


Best Scenic Design of a Musical
John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple
David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
Derek McLane, The Pajama Game
Klara Zieglerova, Jersey Boys


Best Costume Design of a Play
Michael Krass, The Constant Wife
Santo Loquasto, A Touch of the Poet
Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing!
Catherine Zuber, Seascape


Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
Susan Hilferty, Lestat
Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game
Paul Tazewell, The Color Purple


Best Lighting Design of a Play
Christopher Akerlind, Awake and Sing!
Paul Gallo, Three Days of Rain
Mark Henderson, Faith Healer
Mark Henderson, The History Boys


Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, The Drowsy Chaperone
Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
Natasha Katz, Tarzan
Brian MacDevitt, The Color Purple


Regional Theatre Tony Award
Intiman Theatre in Seattle, WA

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Harold Prince

Special Tony Award
Sarah Jones

Total Nominations by Production:
The Drowsy Chaperone - 13
The Color Purple - 11
The Pajama Game - 9
Awake and Sing! - 8
Jersey Boys - 8
The History Boys - 7
Sweeney Todd - 6
Rabbit Hole - 5
The Lieutenant of Inishmore - 5
The Wedding Singer - 5
The Constant Wife - 4
Faith Healer - 4
Edward Albee’s Seascape - 2
Lestat - 2
Shining City - 2
Three Days of Rain - 2
The Threepenny Opera - 2
Well - 2
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial - 1
Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life - 1
Souvenir - 1
Tarzan - 1
A Touch of the Poet - 1
The Woman in White - 1

The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Award is bestowed annually for distinguished achievement. The 2006 Tony Awards will once again be held at Radio City Music Hall and will be broadcast by CBS from 8 to 11 PM ET. Sunday, June 11 is the date; no host has been announced.

Visit www.tonyawards.com for more information.

17 May 2006

grey's anatomy

If you have not seen Greys Anatomy then you are definitely missing out on an amazing show. I dont know how accurate they are with surgical procedures and whatnot but the show is the most genuine thing on television right now. It documents relationships in such a realistic way. Relationship with friends, roommates, lovers, couples, co-workers, and even dogs. The season ended a couple nights ago so this blog may be of no use but this way you can make an appointment for next season or get season 1 on DVD.

"At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. Its like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And its not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away."
-Meredith Grey

seedy songs and rotten rhymes

songs and poems from my childhood :)

13 May 2006

the new CW - an early peek

By: Jimmie Manning, About.com Television Columnist

As fans of on-the-bubble series such as Veronica Mars, Everwood, and One Tree Hill wait anxiously to learn whether or not their beloved series will return, insider reports suggest that organizing a fall schedule for the new WB/UPN hybrid network The CW has been filled with anxiety as well. Reports suggest that the upstart network has been plagued by a poor development season and interpersonal conflicts among executives.

Regardless, on Thursday, May 18 a new schedule for the network will be announced, and it continues to become more unclear as to how things will finally shake down. A night-by-night look at what has developed so far:

MONDAY

While there has been talk for 7th Heaven to return to the night, fans of the family series should not get their hopes up for its return. Instead, expect the new drama series Runaway, a family thriller starring Donnie Wahlberg as the father to a family of fugitives on the run. Everwood is likely to return to the night, although it may have to share its timeslot with the new Aquaman series Mercy Reef. Even though Mercy has been in developmental hell, many feel it will be ready in time for a midseason debut. Insiders report that talk of airing comedy series on the night were also explored, but that these talks were quashed due to CBSs successful comedy block.

TUESDAY

It is almost certain that the much hoped for pairing of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars will happen. Expect Veronica Mars to rest midseason, though, as drama Split Decision receives a trial run. Pepper Dennis, mired by poor ratings and high production costs, is unlikely to return.

WEDNESDAY

A rotation of Americas Next Top Model and Beauty and the Geek are likely to open the night, followed by the return of One Tree Hill. New Kevin Williamson drama Palm Springs will likely premiere in place of One Tree Hill at midseason to give the former series a rest from repeats. While Everybody Hates Chris and new Wayne Brady comedy Flirt are also being considered for the post-Model slot, chances are they will be needed for the comedy-intense Sunday lineup.

THURSDAY

A Smallville and Supernatural pairing seem almost certain at this point. Many pundits predict Mercy Reef to enter the night, but insiders report that the network is unlikely to toy with the success they already have on Thursday.

FRIDAY

Wrestling will continue to air on Friday night.

SUNDAY

The network is expected to air a night of comedies, although Reba will most likely not be included in the mix. Everybody Hates Chris and Girlfriends are shoo-ins for renewal, and new projects Flirt and She Said, He Said are looking promising. Girlfriends spin-off, The Game also looks good for a go, and expect All of Us to return for a new season as well. The Beginnings franchise is rumored to be coming to an end, and no WB sitcoms are expected to join the CW lineup.

09 May 2006

where am i?

blogging used to be SO important to me and now it seems like i'll go weeks without putting anything on here. it makes me kinda sad because i feel like i'm not only losing a piece of me, but also a couple friends... i don't feel like i'm as close to my friend adam anymore, which is bullshit, because we stay friends no matter HOW long we go without hearing from one another. but i felt like maybe i was making some new friends and now maybe any thing we might've had is probably gone. karen - i still love star trek and i was thinking of going to the convention in vegas in august... are you gonna go??

anyway... i guess i really don't have anything spectacular to say. maybe i just wanted to get that off my chest.

love, matt