As I’ve mentioned before, the Tonys are cheesy and weird and great. This year, I’d seen a whole bunch of the shows (at least one in every category, except for Special Theatrical Event), which made me feel like a real insider. However, there wasn’t much excitement — Coast of Utopia and Spring Awakening pretty much cleaned up. The only category where I had a strong opinion (Best Featured Actor in a Play) went to my favorite — Billy Crudup in Coast of Utopia — in the first ten minutes of the broadcast, so everything after that was a little bit of a let-down. Other thoughts:

• Whoever wrote the patter needs to learn how to EDIT. I could not believe how turgid each of the presenters’ speeches were. Where’s Bruce Vilanch when you need him?
• No host. Still felt long, though.
• There is officially no way that Viva Laughlin is as great as I want it to be, but I’m still going to watch every single episode.
• Why weren’t the Tonys broadcast in HD? CBS? American Theatre Wing? What are you hiding?
• David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) won Best Actor in a Musical, in what (to me, at least) was a huge upset. I’ve seen Curtains, and let’s just say… it stinks. What about the adorable young lad from Spring Awakening? He got naked on stage! Does that mean nothing nowadays?
• Sometimes I think I know a lot about theater and I’ll want to show off. Then this will happen. “That’s Audra McDonald. She’s won, like, a million Tonys.” “Oh yeah? What did she win for?” “Oh. Hm. Um…… Look, there’s a dancing chimneysweep!”
• An entertaining pastime: Figuring out the tenuous connections that the presenters have to the world of theater.

That pretty much sums it up. I really wish High Fidelity had stuck around and gotten nominated, not because it was good — it was, quite possibly, one of the most misguided shows I’ve ever seen — but because I want to share the experience with the television viewing public as a whole, and you people in particular, because I believe you would appreciate it ironically, which is the only way to appreciate it, frankly. Hey — look at this, if you dare.

Just so you know, Best Buy is offering all FOX TV DVDs for twenty bucks each.  That includes every episode of Buffy, the Firefly complete series as well as all of the Simpsons, 24 and Arrested Development.

We’ve made it clear that it’s going to be a long summer, so we may as well stock up.

Another parade, another hairy man in a leather thong.  Yawn.

• Debra Messing and Heidi Klum get fashion raves from the Fug Girls.
• A love letter to GOB Bluth.
• Bradley Whitford talks to E-Kristin about the demise of Studio 60.
• David Anders from Alias might come to Heroes.
• Michael Imperioli plays guest columnist for TV Guide.
• A meditation on last night’s Sopranos finale.
• Send the CW Mars bars.  Guess why.