Valentine's Day is coming, so we had heart-to-heart talks with a trio of male musical stars from Broadway and cabaret.

Valentine's Day is coming, so we had heart-to-heart talks with a trio of male musical stars from Broadway and cabaret: John Selya from Movin’ Out, Stephen Buntrock from Oklahoma! and award-winning singer songwriter Johnny Rodgers. And here’s what they had to say about one of the biggest loves of their lives: performing.

The first Tony Awards ceremony is held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York on this date in 1947.

If you're reading this column, it won't come as a surprise that "The Tony Awards" are Sunday night. You also must be aware that the host is Hugh Jackman, and that (for the first time in several years) the ceremony is three hours, 8 to 11 PM ET on CBS. "They wanted more entertainment and longer acceptance speeches," says executive producer Gary Smith.

If you're reading this column, it won't come as a surprise that "The Tony Awards" are Sunday night. You also must be aware that the host is Hugh Jackman, and that (for the first time in several years) the ceremony is three hours, 8 to 11 PM ET on CBS. "They wanted more entertainment and longer acceptance speeches," says executive producer Gary Smith.

BETTY BUCKLEY
The latest recording by Betty Buckley is a spoken one, one that the actress calls "a work of the heart," and it is now available from amazon.com and should soon be available from The Borders chain of bookstores. The Fair Oaks Audio recording -- on two tapes or two CDs -- is titled "The Diaries of Adam & Eve: Translated by Mark Twain" and features Mark Twain's most personal writings, imagined diaries of Adam and Eve. The recording also boasts a performance from Mandy Patinkin, and this marks the first occasion the two Tony winners have worked opposite each other. Luckily for listeners, both are innately musical and find the 'music' in Twain's lyrical work, which mirrors his and his wife's personalities. Former newsman Walter Cronkite can also be heard on the two discs/cassettes; in fact, producer Don Roberts says Cronkite "has that 'voice of God,' which is perfect for the narration of this sort of story. [Buckley, Patinkin and Cronkite] were our first (and only) choices, and their readings exceeded our expectations in every way." Original music by Lester Seigel provides a sense of time and place and is performed by members of the San Francisco Symphony. For more information, contact Fair Oaks Audio at (415) 252-0977.

BETTY BUCKLEY
The latest recording by Betty Buckley is a spoken one, one that the actress calls "a work of the heart," and it is now available from amazon.com and should soon be available from The Borders chain of bookstores. The Fair Oaks Audio recording -- on two tapes or two CDs -- is titled "The Diaries of Adam & Eve: Translated by Mark Twain" and features Mark Twain's most personal writings, imagined diaries of Adam and Eve. The recording also boasts a performance from Mandy Patinkin, and this marks the first occasion the two Tony winners have worked opposite each other. Luckily for listeners, both are innately musical and find the 'music' in Twain's lyrical work, which mirrors his and his wife's personalities. Former newsman Walter Cronkite can also be heard on the two discs/cassettes; in fact, producer Don Roberts says Cronkite "has that 'voice of God,' which is perfect for the narration of this sort of story. [Buckley, Patinkin and Cronkite] were our first (and only) choices, and their readings exceeded our expectations in every way." Original music by Lester Seigel provides a sense of time and place and is performed by members of the San Francisco Symphony. For more information, contact Fair Oaks Audio at (415) 252-0977.

Hello, diva lovers! I'll be out of the office all next week, but you can send e-mails beginning Monday, August 30. Have a great week, and enjoy the diva news. . .

Hello, diva lovers! I'll be out of the office all next week, but you can send e-mails beginning Monday, August 30. Have a great week, and enjoy the diva news. . .

This week's column is an informal look-back at some of the great--and not so great--moments in Tony Award history:

From the Special Tony Playbill

From the Special Tony Playbill:

This month: Sam Mendes' "Away We Go," featuring Allison Janney, plus songwriter Richard Sherman ("The Boys") and "Easy Virtue" writers Stephan Elliott and Sheridan Jobbins.

This month: Sam Mendes' "Away We Go," featuring Allison Janney, plus songwriter Richard Sherman ("The Boys") and "Easy Virtue" writers Stephan Elliott and Sheridan Jobbins.

PASSING STAGES by Louis Botto

From the Special Tony Playbill:

Jonathan Groff and Liev Schreiber discuss working on Ang Lee's new film, "Taking Woodstock," which features a host of New York theatre actors.

Jonathan Groff and Liev Schreiber discuss working on Ang Lee's new film, "Taking Woodstock," which features a host of New York theatre actors.

How Broadway's Awards Evolved

BABY REBORN
Although its Broadway run was relatively brief -- it opened in December 1993 and closed July 1984 -- Baby possessed one of my favorite scores of the eighties, and it was also the show that introduced me to the vocal delights of Liz Callaway (I think I drove my family crazy playing "I Want It All" too many times to count). So, I was thrilled when I learned that Jay Records was planning to reissue the recording on CD, and I'm happy to report that the single disc is now available in stores. The extremely hummable score boasted a cast that included, as mentioned, Miss Saigon's Callaway plus Beauty and the Beast's Beth Fowler, Footloose's Catherine Cox and Guys and Dolls' Martin Vidnovic. With music by David Shire and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., the musical was based on a story developed by Susan Yankowitz concerning the intertwining lives of three couples of various ages who were either trying to conceive or were surprised by a pregnancy. Highlights of the single disc include the opening number, "We Start Today"; Callaway's silky, belty tones on "The Story Goes On" and "The Ladies Singin' Their Song"; the show-stopping anthem "I Want It All," thrillingly sung by Callaway, Cox and Fowler; two charming duets between Callaway and Graff, "What Could Be Better?" and "Two People in Love"; and Fowler and Congdon's stirring look at their years of married life, "And What If We Had Loved Like That?" The CD also includes "Patterns," a song cut from the musical (it would eventually find its way into the hit Off-Broadway revue of Maltby & Shire tunes, Closer Than Ever), here sung gloriously by Beth Fowler.