The Tony Awards nominations are out. Of perhaps more interest to some is that they finally announced who'll host the ceremony on June 7. It'll be Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming.
Not that we're likely to ever hear it but there must be an interesting story why it took so long to announce who's handle the hosting duties, a decision usually announced in February or early March. That story presumably involves Neil Patrick Harris and Hugh Jackman, and maybe Stephen Colbert and/or James Corden. It's interesting that whichever network hosts the Emmy Awards almost always selects as host someone who's starring on one of their programs…but CBS doesn't seem to insist on a CBS star. (Yes, Mr. Harris was one when he hosted but that doesn't seem to have the reason for his selection.) You'd think they'd want to promote Colbert or Corden or even Jim Parsons.
Interesting too that Mr. Colbert has so totally disappeared from television since the last Colbert Report. I talked about that gap with lots of people in the TV biz and everyone agreed that 274 days was way too long for someone to be off the screen if he expected to keep his fan base. But he's about halfway through that period and he hasn't shown his reportedly-now-bearded face. I like it when someone in TV doesn't do what's widely expected but I'm usually curious as to the thinking behind that decision.
Here's another thing to think about: On Jimmy Fallon's first Tonight Show, Colbert made a surprise cameo appearance even though he was on a competing show in that time slot. Will Mr. Fallon return the favor when Colbert debuts? Would Colbert's show even want him to? Hmm?
I'm intermittently watching Mr. Letterman's last shows. Maybe it's reading too much into stray remarks and attitude but Dave's really coming off as a guy who's unhappy to be leaving and clueless as to what he'll do after. When Johnny Carson did his last Tonight Show, he did not intend to disappear from show business. He honestly figured he'd find some project via which he could return to the air and it (a) wouldn't seem like a massive step downward and (b) wouldn't risk a massive flop that would tarnish his legacy. Johnny never did and he eventually decided that the classiest thing he could do would be to do nothing. Dave strikes me as a guy who, perhaps through the example of Johnny, already knows that and doesn't like it.
Again, I wonder. Did Dave and CBS really discuss anything? Saturday night at 11:30? A weekly prime-time hour like Jack Paar did for a few years after his Tonight Show? I'm guessing the core problem is that for a long time, Letterman has had total control and a safe gig. The gig finally stopped being safe and he's unlikely to ever get anything like that again…which means he probably also won't get the absolute control he seems to need. He could get another show somewhere but not on those terms; not unless it was on some tiny cable channel that would be an embarrassment after a real TV network.
I hope some miracle happens and he finds something. He's too good to go away at his age. I'd love to see him find something which would be a new challenge and which might bring out some of the Old Dave who looked like he cared…but I sure don't expect that.