Here comes a new rant: Why is the official Tony web site still using the out-of-date term "actress"? I realize that the public still does it, but the Tony awards should be given to male and female "actors," not to "actors" (i.e., the real thing) and "actresses" (the female version).
I've refused to use the term "chairman" for years, substituting "chair" or "chairperson." I really thought that Broadway was leading the charge against "actress," but without the Tony Awards on board, this bit of sexism won't disappear.
For those who shrug and say "Who cares?" if the default is male there won't be true equality. The basketball teams at my alma mater are the Terps and the Lady Terps. Does anyone want to argue that a "stewardess" has the same connotation as a "steward?" If an executor and executrix are the same, why use two words? And, God forbid, if you refer to me as a "Jewess," I'll have some choice words for you. (Of course, if you refer to me as "a Jew," I might also have some choice words, depending on the context.)
End of rant. Good luck to all the nominees, including those in the categories of best actor and the female kind.
Audrey, the Phantom Phanatic, who nonetheless would rather be Jean Valjean, who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.