Tony

The Tony Awards were aired this past weekend, and I missed it.

Not that I care, particularly, but if I were to watch any awards show, it would be the Tony's...simply because it ties in to theatre (which I greatly enjoy).

I lost interest in the awards programs long ago (actually I can tell you precisely when I gave up the Academy Awards -- when Moonstruck was the big winner). Most of the shows don't seem to truly recognize "the best" any more, but often pander to those that "deserve" the award (often two very different accountings).

The Antoinette Perry Awards (the Tony) were in the news a bit when the nominations were announced, due to an article in the NY Times in which a columnist blasted the awards as being rather pointless and self-serving. I'm not sure why the article creted the small fury that it did -- he was right. Broadway is no longer representative of the best in theatre. Perhaps at one time Broadway was the epitome of theatre, but with so many, incredibly wonderful theatres around the country producing new works one need only look to their nearest metropolis for excellent theatre. Even in New York City, the cost of producing a show on Broadway has become prohibitive. Most won't take a chance on a new show at those costs and usually bring in shows that originated at theatres around the country. Even top names such as Arthur Miller and Neil Simon have had their world premieres Off-Broadway in recent years.

I think that most of these big awards mean less and less the more they promote them, and I for one, just don't care much for them anymore.