CBS TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL ON SUNDAY JUNE 15
New
York, NY (May 8, 2008) – Tony Award winning star of stage and screen,
Whoopi Goldberg, will take center stage as she hosts the 62nd Annual
Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards® on Sunday, June 15 live from Radio City
Music Hall. Ms. Goldberg made the announcement this morning live on
ABC’s THE VIEW. The Tony Awards will air live on CBS from 8:00-11:00PM
(ET/PT time delay). The Tonys are presented by The Broadway League and
The American Theatre Wing.
“I’m very excited to be hosting the
Tony Awards,” said Whoopi Goldberg. “I love Broadway and I’m thrilled
to be doing anything for the first time. I’m gonna have a blast.”
Whoopi
Goldberg is one of a very elite group of artists who have won the
Grammy (“Whoopi Goldberg,” 1985), the Academy Award (“Ghost,” 1991),
the Golden Globe (“The Color Purple,” 1985 and “Ghost,” 1991), the Emmy
(as host of AMC’s “Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie
McDaniel,” 2002) and a Tony (Producer of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,”
2002), as well as countless other awards and honors as an actor,
producer, host and author. She currently moderates “The View.”
The 2008 Tony Awards will be executive produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment.
“How
lucky are we to have such a legendary performer presiding over this
year’s Tony Awards?” said Glenn Weiss. “Whoopi not only brings with her
an immense amount of star-power, but also a charm and humor that is all
her own,” said Ricky Kirshner.
Kirshner has worked on 14 of
the past 15 Tony Awards beginning as Associate Producer and working up
to Executive Producer. Weiss is also director of the telecast; this is
his eighth year. He won an Emmy Award for his direction of the 2005
telecast.
The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Award®, which was founded
by the American Theatre Wing in 1947, is bestowed annually on theatre
professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway. The Tony is
one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the
annual telecast – the night America watches Broadway – is considered
one of the most prestigious programs on television.