From 8-11 PM ET, CBS-TV will broadcast the ceremony, which will boast a star-studded list of presenters from the worlds of TV, film and theatre. As of press time, those scheduled to present awards include Alan Alda, Joan Allen, Christina Applegate, Angela Bassett, Matthew Broderick, Mario Cantone, Don Cheadle, Marcia Cross, Jon Cryer, Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Ann Hathaway, Dennis Haysbert, Ethan Hawke, Allison Janney, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Laura Linney, Jesse Martin, Idina Menzel, Esai Morales, Megan Mullally, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce, Sandra Oh, Doris Roberts, Emmy Rossum, Keri Russell, Liev Schreiber, Tony Shaloub, Julia Stiles, Kathleen Turner and Leslie Uggams.

The 2005 Tony Awards promise to be an exciting event, with several races too close to call. Chief among them is the battle for the coveted Best Musical prize. All four competitors — Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, Monty Python's Spamalot and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — have their admirers. Though Spamalot has been favored by most Tony prognosticators, there is a great possibility that one of the other musicals could nab the prize. Last year, Wicked seemed to have a lock on the Best Musical Tony, but that honor ultimately went to a bunch of comical and lovable puppets in Avenue Q.

Although the CBS broadcast does not commence until 8 PM, the official Tony Awards website — located at www.TonyAwards.com — will offer exclusive live video of the first nine awards beginning at 7 PM. Idina Menzel, who nabbed the Best Leading Actress in a Musical Tony Award last season for her work as the green-faced Elphaba in Stephen Schwartz's Wicked, will present these nine awards, which include Best Orchestrations, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Musical as well as the Best Regional Theatre Award (Theatre de la Jeune Lune of Minneapolis, MN) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (playwright Edward Albee).

As for entertainment, the CBS telecast will include performances from the four nominated Best Musicals — Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, Monty Python's Spamalot and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — as well as two of the three nominated Best Revivals of a Musical — La Cage aux Folles and Sweet Charity. The third revival, Pacific Overtures, is no longer running and will, therefore, not perform.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will perform "Great Big Stuff," featuring Norbert Leo Butz, Gregory Jbara, John Lithgow and the ensemble. "Statues and Stories" will be the offering from the cast of Light in the Piazza, which includes Michael Berresse, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Victoria Clark, Mark Harelik, Matthew Morrison and Kelli O'Hara. Christina Applegate, Kyra DaCosta and Janine LaManna will lead the company of Sweet Charity in a medley of "Big Spender," "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "I'm a Brass Band." Robert Goulet, Gary Beach and Les Cagelles will perform La Cage aux Folles's "We Are What We Are" and "I Am What I Am," while The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will present their title number and the "Serenity Prayer." The Bee performers include Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Dan Fogler, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss and Sarah Saltzberg. And, Monty Python's Spamalot will perform "Find Your Grail," which features David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, Christopher Sieber, Michael McGrath, Steven Rosen, Sara Ramirez and the ensemble. The opening number of the Tony Awards — led by Hugh Jackman — will also feature performances from the nominated musicals. The company of Spamalot will perform a portion of the song "Camelot" and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will perform part of the "Dirty Rotten Number," among others. The evening will also include entertainment from Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters, Grammy Award winner Aretha Franklin and original Rent star Jesse Martin.

The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Award is bestowed annually for distinguished achievement in the theatre. The complete list of this year's nominees follows:

Best Play
Democracy
Doubt
Gem of the Ocean
The Pillowman

Best Musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Revival of a Play
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men

Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity

Best Special Theatrical Event
Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance!
Laugh Whore
700 Sundays
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
Bill Irwin, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brían F. O'Byrne, Doubt

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Hank Azaria, Monty Python's Spamalot
Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tim Curry, Monty Python's Spamalot
John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sutton Foster, Little Women
Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Mireille Enos, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael McGrath, Monty Python's Spamalot
Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
Christopher Sieber, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kelli O'Hara, The Light in the Piazza
Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Direction of a Play
John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Direction of a Musical
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
Jack O’Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza

Best Choreography
Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Orchestrations
Larry Hochman, Monty Python's Spamalot
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

The Light in the Piazza
Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel

Monty Python's Spamalot
Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle; Lyrics: Eric Idle

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics: William Finn

Best Book of a Musical
Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Craig Lucas, The Light in the Piazza
Eric Idle, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, Doubt
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
Scott Pask, The Pillowman

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python's Spamalot
Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Pat Collins, Doubt
Donald Holder, Gem of the Ocean
Donald Holder, A Streetcar Named Desire
Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python's Spamalot

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Edward Albee

The total number of nominations received by each production follows:
Monty Python's Spamalot - 14
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - 11
The Light in the Piazza - 11
Doubt - 8
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 6
Glengarry Glen Ross - 6
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - 6
The Pillowman - 6
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 5
Gem of the Ocean - 5
La Cage aux Folles - 4
Pacific Overtures - 4
A Streetcar Named Desire - 3
Sweet Charity - 3
Twelve Angry Men - 3
On Golden Pond - 2
The Rivals - 2
700 Sundays - 1
Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance! - 1
Democracy - 1
Laugh Whore - 1
Little Women - 1
Reckless - 1
Sight Unseen - 1
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show - 1