At a Times Square news conference May 28, Tony Awards executive producer Gary Smith announced some of the entertainment highlights for the June 8 awards.

Composer Billy Joel will offer “New York State of Mind” — live from Times Square — which will then segue to the company of Movin’ Out performing that show’s “River of Dreams” on stage at Radio City. Tony nominee Bernadette Peters will offer Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim’s “Rose’s Turn,” the climactic finale to Gypsy, and co-nominees Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur will lead the company of Hairspray in that show’s rousing finale, “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”

TV viewers can also expect to see Nine’s four Tony nominees — Antonio Banderas, Jane Krakowski, Chita Rivera and Mary Stuart Masterson — performing Maury Yeston’s “Guido’s Song,” and Man of La Mancha nominee Brian Stokes Mitchell will offer that show's anthem, "The Impossible Dream."

Other performance highlights include a selection from La Boheme, featuring the ten actors who will receive the Tony honor; Mark Linn-Baker and Joe Goede in a number from A Year with Frog and Toad; an appearance from the cast of The Play What I Wrote; and the performances of “I Wanna Hear a Poem” and “I Write America” from Def Poetry Jam. All of the nominated plays and musicals will be introduced by video segments featuring stars of the respective productions. (Taped segments from all of this year's nominated plays will be featured.)

Hugh Jackman will host the annual Tony Awards ceremony, live from Radio City Music Hall, June 8. CBS-TV will broadcast the three-hour event, 8-11 PM ET. Presenters will include Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, John Leguizamo, Edie Falco, Alan Cumming, Benjamin Bratt, Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez, Julianna Margulies, Frank Langella, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Barbara Walters, Danny Glover, Christopher Reeve, Laurence Fishburne, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave and Joey Fatone. Additionally, Jason Alexander and Martin Short — currently starring in the national company of The Producers — will present one of this year’s Tony Awards live from the stage of Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre. The 2003 Tony Awards will also salute the late writers Adolph Green and Peter Stone and will include a memorial tribute to the late legendary caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.

For more information about the Tony Awards, visit www.tonyawards.com.