TONYS Aren't Everything — Page 3

I did not say she deserved it over the others...
Here is what I said:
"It was one of the most moving performances I have ever seen on a Broadway stage. She deserved that award."

I never compared her to any of the other nominees.

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extremely well said mrmusic.

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Okay.
Everyone listen.
Are you listening?
Good.
Now shut up and let this thread die.

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MrMusic, if you read my posts, I never said that a pompous person didn't deserve a Tony because they were pompous. Please. If people's personalities were a factor - oh my.

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Just because someone can receive an award given to her by her peers without hysterically crying and making a mess of herself, does not mean that she is "pompous." Ms. Rashad accepted her award with humility and grace. Her behavior, talant, and hard work is a credit to her and to our community as well. She is a model for all of us.

BTW, I don't mean, by my previous comment, that I think crying when recieving an award is bad thing. I am simply expressing my admiration for Ms. Rashad's conduct at the awards.

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WOW!

Althought this is about 7 different threads in one, I do find the whole discussion rather interesting...

As someone who did indeed see all the Tony Nominated performances, I believe the Tony Voters did make a very good decision in awarding Rashad the Tony. I think also, that someone decided to play the race card in this argument simply because they felt backed into a corner and it's an easy card to play.

I've met Ms. Rashad on a few occassions and find her to be one of the most gracious individuals I have ever met. Yes, she speaks her mind-if that makes her pompous or a diva, then so be it, I see it quite differently and wish more people had the guts to do so.

But what this thread is really about (in my opinion) is the value of the Tony Awards. At this time of year for us, there are two things going on- Yes, there is the obvious race for a prize, but also on a far grander scale, this is the time of year where the rest of the world gets to see a slice of our community and care about it. So it's a celebration in a lot of ways...That's what most of the talk ends up being about I think.

Of course we are going to discuss the Tonys. They are the highest commercial honor one can recieve in this industry. Have some decisions been made in the best interest of money? yes. please note that I referred to them as the highest "commercial" honor in the industry. Sure, the art is important, but without the commercial side of things, to be honest, nobody would give a crap about this industry. Do you really think Off-Broadway would have a chance without CATS? or HAIRSPRAY? I'm not dissing the artistic quality of either of these shows, merely stating that their commercial value is far greater than their artistic value. Nothing wrong with that.

So yes, Tony's do matter. Tony-Winning shows may run a few months or years longer with that tag line added to their marketing. Should artists be upset or is the art compromised because of the lack of a Tony Award? no. I don't think so.

There's my 2 cents.

It's not Rashad's fault she's black...

Probably the most racist remark on this board ever.

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I agree completely with the original statement in this thread about a Tony not being everything. It's the same deal with Oscars and Golden Globes etc etc. As artists/performers, what does it matter if we have a collection of statues in our cabinets or not? It's about being on stage and in the moment and spreading messages through the art of theatre in my opinion. Who cares about some gold statue that will probably just spent eternity sitting on a mantlepiece collecting dust? In the end, its really a panel of judge's opinion on who's good, not the whole world. It annoys me when people are like "Ohh they are the best because they have a Tony or an Oscar." 10 people say they are the best, that doesn't necessarily mean they are. Besides, everyone has their own opinion on "the best" anyways. I just don't get why we put so much reliance on such a trivial thing (Oscar ceremonies are now more about the fashion anyways than the movies and actors) instead of thinking about the actual theatre and actors in it.

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No. I understand what they were saying. Tonya makes every issue into a black/white issue. Marilyn was just mocking that.

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i state how i feel. like i said i dont care what people on this board think about me. and i can think what i want. if i believe that you dont give enough respect to a lot of black artists, then so what. you havent proven to me otherwise. this board wasn't even about black/white anything. everyone else decided to turn it into that by coming down so hard on ms rashad. i just noticed a pattern on this board that's all.

and to munkustrap: almost everytime a black artist is mentioned, you say a terribly unnecessarily rude comment about them. why is that?

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this board wasn't even about black/white anything. everyone else decided to turn it into that by coming down so hard on ms rashad.

TONYA, LISTEN TO ME:
1) We are not criticizing Rashad because she is black.
2) By criticizing an actress (just as dozens of others, regardless of race, are criticized on this board EVERY HOUR) we are not turning it into a racial issue.
3) If you think that everyone who dislikes Rashad feels that way because they are racist and she is black, you need a serious reality check.

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Updated On: 3/31/05 at 11:46 AM

whatever. i can think what i want. once again: IF IT DOESN'T APPLY TO YOU THEN DON'T RESPOND. you guys jus dont get that. i never called anyone a racist. i jus said that i believe, "some people on this board hate to see a black woman at the top of her game" that's what i think. nobody put guns to your heads or matches under your belly to respond to what i say. you do. get over it. you say what you say. if im offended/agree: ill respond if i feel like it. jus like you all do.

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