Sir Elton Has No Class- Page 2

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:35am

I thought it was a real nice gesture as well !

Was actually surprised that he did it !

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:38am

I generally thought it was nice, but I can also see how it could be interpreted as "keep working on it...you'll get there eventually". Overall I thought it was genuine since you can hear tone on videotape...

[BadIdeaBear]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:49am

I think Elton has class i mean Class with a capital C.
He is also a total genius, but he has what we say here: his heart on his tongue.
He says what comes up in his mind, there is no filter.
That makes him colourful and in the same time sensitive and totally unpredictable.

[Renart]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:44am

Initially I thought it was nice but as he went on it seemed less so. It probably was insecurity more than cattiness, but it did feel kinda uncomfortable. It started to sound more like a reminder that "you might have beat me for Best Score, but WE got Best Musical...so there." I'm always uncomfortable whenever a winner singles out only one of the losers to "congratulate" him (are your ears burning, Ving Rhames?). Most other times the winner will graciously mention all of his or her fellow nominees. The fact that he chose to mention only those who beat him in his category means that it was an issue for him. The category that brought him up there was Best Musical, not Best Score. Get over it and move on. I don't think anyone would have faulted him for not even mentioning them.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:46am

Elton was class all the way. I thought his congratulations to the Next to Normal team were heartfelt and spot on.

And Frank Langella could only have been funnier if they had Daniel Radcliffe sharing the bit with him. Hysterical. And true!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 10:19am

"I felt it came across legitamitely. I don't think he intended for it to sound catty."

I think it is one of those things where it sounds better in your head than when you actually say it. He was caught up in the moment, and I am sure he had the best intentions.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 10:23am

>>>"Either way, it was still a highlight of the evening"<<<

Sorry, there were many other highlights of the evening...including NPH eating sushi on stage!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 10:27am

He wasn't singling out a loser- he was congratulating the winner who beat him. It's astounding at the level of hatred here for him to misconstrue his words so completely.

[mygfdontliveincanada]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 10:31am

If I was a new writing team like Kitt and Yorkey and one of the great songwriters of our time acknowledged our work, congratulated us for it, and instructed us to keep writing, I would be thrilled and honored. I thought it was classy and sweet of Elton to mention them in his speech. It's clear he didn't have to, and for him to take the time to recognize them at the Tonys and on national television was, for me, one of the highlights of the night, and I'm sure Kitt and Yorkey agree.

[Hiram]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 10:46am

Sir Elton was gracious and Mr. Langella was a hoot! Two class acts.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:01am

I love how all the N2Ners are trying to find a way to even turn compliments from people associated with BE into insults.

[mikem]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:03am

I'm in the camp that Elton John was trying to be sincere and nice but it came across awkwardly, because he's not a good public speaker (it definitely got more weird as it went on). But I think he was trying to be gracious as opposed to trying to be catty.

My theory: part of the reason that it sounded like a "winner's speech" is because he used the phrasing that he was planning on using in his actual winner's speech if he had won for Best Score. He was planning on saying something nice about each of the other nominees if he had won and he just lifted that part out of his "winner's speech" when he spoke for Best Musical. In that context, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey were the "new kids on the block" in terms of the nominees (the others were Dolly Parton, someone who has won the Pulitzer Prize, and someone who is on her third nomination for Best Score), and so the "keep going" part would have made sense there. Elton John isn't a good public speaker and so he stuck to the material he had already memorized, even if it no longer made as much sense.

(By the way, his remarks about the team sticking together are a little odd since his 4 Broadway musicals were written with 3 different lyricists -- he really is not a great public speaker.)

Updated On: 6/8/09 at 11:03 AM

[Myron]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:03am

Yes, I agree that Elton was not being nasty. He was shouting-out in his own way his congratulations. He also appeared a bit "stoned". I never saw him being interviewed on the Red Carpet; perhaps I missed it.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:05am

"He is no egomaniac whatsoever."

Yes. Elton John is no egomaniac whatsoever. He's just a simple boy with a dream.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 12:59pm

Oh, Elton was fine. I suppose it would have been just fine and dandy if he hadn't mentioned them at all.

My award for Most Class: Matthew Warchus' speech for his GOD OF CARNAGE direction: "Don’t let anyone tell you, by the way, that I or Christopher Hampton have grafted or superimposed anything onto Yasmina’s writing..."

Updated On: 6/8/09 at 12:59 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 1:05pm

A catty remark or not: two up-and-coming musical theatre artists got a shout out from Sir. Elton. John! I may not have enjoyed BE, but... no press is bad press. If Elton John slaps you across the face or pats you on the back, you take it and run with it.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 1:46pm

"I love how all the N2Ners are trying to find a way to even turn compliments from people associated with BE into insults."

And I love how you're trying to find a way to make it appear that all N2N fans even think that, when a quick review of the replies in this thread seem to show that isn't true at all.

[NDR]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 7:27pm

What I did find somewhat disconcerting was Elton pushing David Alvarez out of the way so he could get to the microphone.

[Ole Chum]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 7:40pm

the social ineptitude of many people on this site is really shocking. completely oblivious to social cues! how do you all interact in the real world?

1. Elton John's shout out to the n2n folks was a semi-conscious nod to the fact that lots of people thought n2n was the best show this season... it was a nice heartfelt thing for a huge superstar to say to new up and coming talent.

2. Langella's bit was by far the best of the night. I can NOT believe people here think that was catty. It was hysterical, clever, the epitome of wit! If you thought he was actually putting Geoffrey Rush down, you are a complete dimwit.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 7:44pm

John still has to be smarting from Lestat. He probably wanted it for Billy to make up for that. He did sound genuine.

Langella's bit was great.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:53pm

Why do people try to twist everyone's words after the Tonys? The year that Julia Roberts humbly said "What you people do is amazing" or something to that effect, there was a thread two seconds later saying something ridiculous like "Julia Roberts Snubs All of Broadway." Now this? Give me an f-ing break.
Elton John's remarks were heartfelt and neat, and I believe that Frank Langella's bit was unscripted since it was actually hilarious unlike most scripted bits at any award ceremony. The man is both a comic and dramatic genius, I always love his deadpan comic delivery.

[Rudy2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:27pm

OleChum, I'm totally with you.

Also, those who have said Elton is not a good speaker are right. He is rather shy and inarticulate, at least on his toes.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:31pm

....

*headdesk*

No words.