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CNN Sunday Morning
Tony Awards Handed Out Tonight
Aired June 08, 2003 - 07:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the best of Broadway are rewarded with the coveted Tony awards. Among the award hopefuls are stars like Paul Newman and Vanessa Redgrave.
Whitney Casey has a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY: It's Antonio Banderas versus Bernadette Peters and Harvey Fierstein battles Billy Joel.
No, it's not MTV's celebrity death match. It's the 57th Annual Tony Awards.
HARVEY FIERSTEIN, ACTOR: There's no business like show business.
CASEY: Harvey Fierstein is feeling good. His musical "Hairspray" based on the John Waters film, racked up the most nominations, 13 including one for himself. He's the first male to be nominated for playing a female.
FIERSTEIN: You think everything's been done before until you find out something like that. And then you go wow, I'm an original.
CASEY: Antonio Banderas will give Fierstein a run for his money in the lead actor category in a musical. He stars as an Italian filmmaker in the musical "Nine."
(SINGING)
For best actress in a musical, it's the veteran versus the rookie. Two time winner Bernadette Peters may walk away with her third Tony for her role as Mama Rose in "Gypsy."
While "Hairspray's" breakout starlet, Marissa Jaret Winokur is happy, just to be nominated.
MARISSA JARET WINOKUR, NOMINEE, "HAIRSPRAY": To get nominated for a Tony is like -- it's the biggest honor I could possibly have.
CASEY: Billy Joel, who will open the award show with a live performance from Times Square may add a Tony to his shelf of Grammys. "Moving Out," his collaboration with Twila Tharpe (ph), scored 10 nominations.
BILLY JOEL, SINGER: I like Twila Tharp's (ph) idea. It's not a standard way to do a musical. It's very innovative. It's daring, it's risky, it's different.
PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: This play is called "Our Town."
CASEY: And after almost 40 years off the stage, Paul Newman's return in "Our Town" earned him a nod for leading actor in a play.
It's theater's biggest night of celebration after another bumpy year on the great white way, despite a brief (unintelligible) strike, the war in Iraq, the decline in local tourism and economic uncertainty, Broadway remains resilient.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK: Half the tourists that come to New York City go to a Broadway show. That tells you everything you need to know.
JED BERNSTEIN, PRES., LEAGUE OF AMERICAN THEATERS & PRODUCERS: The season we just finished gets about a B plus, you know? All time gross sales record, attendance, third highest on record. So we're happy about that. And advanced sales are still off. So overall, we're doing good, but we could improve.
CASEY: However, when the curtain goes up, Broadway will be hoping for straight A's, as it honors its best and brightest.
Whitney Casey, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 8, 2003 - 07:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the best of Broadway are rewarded with the coveted Tony awards. Among the award hopefuls are stars like Paul Newman and Vanessa Redgrave.
Whitney Casey has a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY: It's Antonio Banderas versus Bernadette Peters and Harvey Fierstein battles Billy Joel.
No, it's not MTV's celebrity death match. It's the 57th Annual Tony Awards.
HARVEY FIERSTEIN, ACTOR: There's no business like show business.
CASEY: Harvey Fierstein is feeling good. His musical "Hairspray" based on the John Waters film, racked up the most nominations, 13 including one for himself. He's the first male to be nominated for playing a female.
FIERSTEIN: You think everything's been done before until you find out something like that. And then you go wow, I'm an original.
CASEY: Antonio Banderas will give Fierstein a run for his money in the lead actor category in a musical. He stars as an Italian filmmaker in the musical "Nine."
(SINGING)
For best actress in a musical, it's the veteran versus the rookie. Two time winner Bernadette Peters may walk away with her third Tony for her role as Mama Rose in "Gypsy."
While "Hairspray's" breakout starlet, Marissa Jaret Winokur is happy, just to be nominated.
MARISSA JARET WINOKUR, NOMINEE, "HAIRSPRAY": To get nominated for a Tony is like -- it's the biggest honor I could possibly have.
CASEY: Billy Joel, who will open the award show with a live performance from Times Square may add a Tony to his shelf of Grammys. "Moving Out," his collaboration with Twila Tharpe (ph), scored 10 nominations.
BILLY JOEL, SINGER: I like Twila Tharp's (ph) idea. It's not a standard way to do a musical. It's very innovative. It's daring, it's risky, it's different.
PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: This play is called "Our Town."
CASEY: And after almost 40 years off the stage, Paul Newman's return in "Our Town" earned him a nod for leading actor in a play.
It's theater's biggest night of celebration after another bumpy year on the great white way, despite a brief (unintelligible) strike, the war in Iraq, the decline in local tourism and economic uncertainty, Broadway remains resilient.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK: Half the tourists that come to New York City go to a Broadway show. That tells you everything you need to know.
JED BERNSTEIN, PRES., LEAGUE OF AMERICAN THEATERS & PRODUCERS: The season we just finished gets about a B plus, you know? All time gross sales record, attendance, third highest on record. So we're happy about that. And advanced sales are still off. So overall, we're doing good, but we could improve.
CASEY: However, when the curtain goes up, Broadway will be hoping for straight A's, as it honors its best and brightest.
Whitney Casey, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
