Hunter Foster creates "Give the Tonys back to BROADWAY" campaign- Page 4
Hunter Foster creates "Give the Tonys back to BROADWAY" campaign
#76Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:36amThis was poorly thought out on Hunter's part.
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#77Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:43amCBS to Broadway - You can HAVE them!
#78Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:48am
No, it wasn't all about the Green Day performance. There were other examples mentioned. The introductions, the opening number featuring "theatre songs you know outside of theatre."
The opening number was fine though. Yes it was "songs you know outside the theatre", but no matter which way you slice it, those songs WERE in Broadway shows this year and, aside from Green Day, were performed by the Broadway performers from those shows. The people who put the Tonys together this year saw an opportunity to gain more viewers. They still featured the Broadway performers. Why is that wrong? It's not like it wasn't about Broadway.
As for the introductions, I agree that some of those were strange (Mark Sanchez, etc.). I chocked that up mostly to nobody wanting to introduce Memphis, lol. But there really weren't a ton of presenters that weren't tied to the Broadway community in some way. This whole thing is an overreaction.
TheColorOfFlame
Featured Actor Joined: 8/31/04
#79Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:51am
best12bars, I appreciate what you're saying, but I think you're twisting Hunter's argument to make it reasonable.
The fact is, they framed the Tonys as "Broadway Goes Pop" this year because, this year, Broadway was dominated by its pop crossover. Lea and Matthew were presented as the stars of "Glee" because "Glee" has completely changed America's perception of Broadway (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/fashion/13Cultural.html?ref=children_and_youth).
It made perfect sense for the Tonys to be framed in this way, this year. As for Green Day (although I know you said it wasn't Hunter's only issue), well, they helped create arguably the most artistically successful show of the season (not saying much). So they performed. Duh.
PS - My friend was Hunter's reader in an audition for an extra-extra-low-budget horror movie in which Hunter had to scream in mortal terror and anguish as he was being brutally dismembered. He didn't get the part.
Puts his rant into perspective, doesn't it?
"I am the sound of distant thunder, the color of flame."
CARRIE the Musical
#80Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:51amPoor Hunter Foster - he hasn't had a good role in a good show since Urinetown. It must chafe like heck to watch his sister originate lead after lead in new Broadway shows, while you get either inconsequential roles, or work in quick flops like Frankenstein or Happiness...
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#81Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:53am
The introductions, the opening number featuring "theatre songs you know outside of theatre.
A few years ago it was something like "Your favorite tv stars who you didn't know started in theatre" that pushed people over the edge.
I'm telling you. A nice, quiet luncheon. People could dress nice, but not formal. Maybe a nice salmon dish with a cold pasta salad.
Updated On: 6/17/10 at 10:53 AM
#83Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:01amMaybe with couscous?
"When the audience comes in, it changes the temperature of what you've written." -Stephen Sondheim
Dolly_Levi
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/8/04
#84Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:06amI imagined Hunter as a hairy chested guy, but the pics tell a different tale. Hmm?!
Laughter is much more important than applause. Applause is almost a duty. Laughter is a reward.
Carol Channing
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#85Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:09amYes. But he still looks cute.
HUSSY POWER!
------ HUSSY POWER!
#86Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:16am
To be honest, the Oscars aren't above cross-promotion or left-field moments in order to jack up the atmosphere. Remember Beyonce performing all the nominated songs? She had nothing to do with any of the songs, but she's a huge star. And the combination of those songs took longer than Green Day's appearance on the Tonys. If you have a MASSIVE star connected with the score of a nominated musical, it's really no that out of character to feature them, especially if they are still popular and relevant. And it really isn't the same as something like Jersey Boys where the actors are portraying the actual group. Though a special appearance by Frankie Valli that year wouldn't really seem wildly out of place considering the biggest musical of the year was about him and his group.
And I actually enjoy some of the moments where they celebrate Broadway's connection to pop culture. I thought the opening medley was a great idea. Not everyone who watches is so closely in touch with everything happening on Broadway as those of us on this board. My parents are huge musical theatre fans, but they follow Broadway events mostly through me or in a more general sense. My Dad had absolutely NO IDEA what the Spider Man joke was about. None. But he loved watching the parade of familiar songs that are currently appearing on Broadway, most specifically the number from Everyday Rapture, which probably would not have been performed otherwise.
Now, I agree Sanchez and Abdul didn't make any sense or seem to have any justifiable reason of being there, but it's not as if they really stole the spotlight from BROADWAY. They just would have been replaced with other industry people who would have read a 10-second spot off a teleprompter.
So, I wonder what people would have suggested the opening should have been. More material from the nominated shows? For the most part it was that already. A medley of hit Broadway numbers from shows that aren't running like Cats, Evita and Dreamgirls featuring Broadway's biggest divas who are not performing in anything this season, but we just never tire of seeing them perform the same songs over and over and over again? Performances from non-nominated shows? Oh wait, everyone bitched about that even more than this. Or perhaps they should have just performed the opening number and never said a word about the songs being known outside the world of Broadway.
As for Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele, yes, their Broadway credits should have been mentioned. On the other hand, do Glee fans have no knowledge of recent musical theatre?
Once again, the Tony Awards broadcast fails to please everyone. Why should this year be any different from every year?
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#87Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:18am
First of all, it is of the highest importance that the Tony Awards be available to every possible person. They must stay on broadcast tv. When I was young, even though we lived two hours from NYC, the Tony Awards were like an open window into the world of theater. I still have a very thrilling memory of seeing "A New Argentina" performed on the Tonys. It was exciting. If it is moved to cable tv, young people may not be able to see the show if their parents don't have cable or their cable company doesn't carry the channel.
Second, while I understand the reasoning for putting it in a Broadway theater, haven't they used Radio City so that they could get more people into the show? Wasn't it always a problem of hurt feelings when a show had scores of producers and only one could show up?
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
americanboy99
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/06
#88Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:18am
That is absolutely LUDICROUS.
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#89Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:27amAs a general rule (and allowing for the occasional exception), time and again Broadway performers just prove that they should not be allowed to post things online! They always come off like dumb-asses or entitled brats. Sometimes both.
#90Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:29amI wouldn't even complain about Abdul being there to present the choreography award. She used to be the most famous choreographer in the music business, and she has expressed interest in being on Broadway. So perhaps she was using it as a way to make herself visible to producers of future musical projects.
millie_dillmount
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/04
#91Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:32amWhere was all this fuss when Jersey Boys performed on the Emmys as a tribute to the Sopranos?
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
iluvtheatertrash
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/9/04
#92Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:40amKate Baldwin joined the group today.
"I know now that theatre saved my life." - Susan Stroman
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#93Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:41am
"As a general rule (and allowing for the occasional exception), time and again Broadway performers just prove that they should not be allowed to post things online! They always come off like dumb-asses or entitled brats. Sometimes both."
Excuse me dolls, but when I said that building a pedestrian sidewalk in the middle of the theater district would make me late to my show and I would have to push tourists out of the way, I did not come off like a dumb-ass because I'm the broad that took a crime infested theater district and, with my stunning performance in Evita, drew people back to a dying art form.
--Miss Patti LuPone
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
#94Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:44am
I think a pretty considerable difference between the Tonys and the other awards shows mentioned is that the Tonys are probably the most performance-heavy, along with the Grammys. The Emmys and Oscars would be just straight awards given back to back if it weren't for the random performance. Now aside from montages, there isn't a whole lot that TV and film stars can do to fill time, so they bring in music stars.
I think Tony performances/time management get more scrutinized by fans because of the limited number of shows that are even eligible to perform. I mean, with the vast number of musicians nominated/included in the Grammys, no one expects all nominees or "big" stars to be able to perform. But when there are only maybe 10-12 shows in a season, people get a little more defensive when 2 or 3 shows are left out, especially in favor of "outsiders" (read: Green Day).
Wicked Tour (2/26/08); Wicked Bway (7/1/08); HAIR (7/1/09); Rock of Ages (7/2/09); Wicked Bway (7/3/09); Mary Poppins Tour (8/2/09); Wicked Tour (11/18/09); Wicked Tour (12/5/09)
PiraguaGuy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/10/08
#95Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:46am
I don't understand all the brouhaha over the Green Day performance. First off, Bret Michaels' wipeout during the opening number last year came AFTER he had just performed a song that was featured in a show that he had nothing to do with other than contributing that one song, and nobody batted an eyelash.
Also, I think you all may have forgotten that while Green Day was playing the cast of the show was backing them up vocally. So it wasn't just a random-ass Green Day appearance.
Formerly SirNotAppearing - Joined 3/08
#96Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:50am
I think the biggest issue people have with is the fact that it was presented as the "star" of the number...or at least that's how it came across to some.
Poison on the other hand was just a little blip in last year's massive opening number.
Wicked Tour (2/26/08); Wicked Bway (7/1/08); HAIR (7/1/09); Rock of Ages (7/2/09); Wicked Bway (7/3/09); Mary Poppins Tour (8/2/09); Wicked Tour (11/18/09); Wicked Tour (12/5/09)
#97Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:52am
Where was all this fuss when Jersey Boys performed on the Emmys as a tribute to the Sopranos?
Double standards are okay as long as they promote Broadway.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#98Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:54am
Kate Baldwin joined the group today.
Uh-oh. Somebody pissed that they lost to a star?
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#100Give The Tonys Back To Broadway!
Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:04pmbest12bars, thank you so much for articulating your point on this thread so beautifully and fully... I agree 100%.
[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.
#101Hunter Foster Whines with other non Hollywood actors
Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:05pm
An absurd facebook page with an even more absurd idea.
I mean with all the things to spend energy on he chooses this?
What an absolute waste.
....but the world goes 'round
