Feature: And The Nominees Are... BEST REGULARLY SCHEDULED CHAT SHOW

Artists from the cabaret and concert industry are most often singers - artists who stand on the stage for an hour or so, and mostly communicate through music. When New York City locked down in March, those artists lost their voices. Fortunately, some members of the community love to talk, they adore shining a light on the people they admire, and they have a natural gift for gab. As the weeks passed, artists turned interviewers debuted their new chat shows on various platforms, and pretty soon there was a new community of online chat show hosts.

The Category Is BEST REGULARLY SCHEDULED CHAT SHOW

The 5:30 Quarantini - Michael Hull & Dylan Bustamante - YouTube: Two best friends with a passion for laughter and cocktails, Michael and Dylan started their talk program early in the quarantine, calling on their friends from the business to have some talk, some laughs, and their bartending tips. The show's popularity led to the creation of two additional shows and their own network on YouTube.

Happy Hour With Beegie - Beegie Adair & Monica Ramey - YouTube: The legendary jazz pianist, Beegie Adair, and her longtime associate, Monica Ramey, devised to entertain the fans of the art form while distracting themselves and their fellow jazz artists. Their Zoom conversations were broadcast in real-time, as the jazz-oriented conversation covered many areas of the business, to the tune of thousands of viewers.

Richard Skipper Celebrates - Richard Skipper - YouTube: An unerring voice for positivity in the community and in the industry, Richard Skipper's show and, indeed, his company are named for his quest to place in the light the talents he admires. An experienced interviewer, Skipper's hour-long interviews with these artists harkens back to the days of Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, and Dick Cavett.

The Early Set with Gabrielle Stravelli - Gabrielle Stavellie - YouTube: A prodigy of the jazz persuasion, Ms. Stravelli's weekly series sat her down with her friends and colleagues from the industry to discuss the more technical aspects of their work, the artform and the industry. Stravelli industriously curated a series of impressive shows before, recently, making the decision to take a break - all shows are archived on her YouTube channel.

Virtual Halston - Julie Halston - YouTube: Broadway's Queen of Comedy, Julie Halston took her act and her laughs online to a weekly chat show on The Cast Party Network, and with her show business contacts, and producers' Jim Caruso and Ruby Locknar's tech savvy, Halston created a show that everyone wants to see.

Stars In The House - Seth Rudetsky - YouTube: The inimitable Seth Rudetsky and his husband, James Wesley, created Stars in the House early in the quarantine and a star was born. Sure, both men are stars, but the Stars in the House legend grew fast and it grew big. It's sort of like the Audrey 2 of virtual chat shows.

Cabaret Conversations - Michael Kirk Lane - 92Y: The 92nd Street Y asked Michael Kirk Lane to curate and host a series of Zoom chat shows in which he would discuss the art form of cabaret. The for-pay series attracted much attention and many ticket sales as people tuned in to watch Lane chat with the likes of Natalie Douglas, Karen Mason, Joe Iconis, and Chita Rivera. The popularity of the show led 92Y to extend the show order, so the series will continue into the future.

Baking With Marc and James - Marc Tumminelli & James Donegan - Facebook & YouTube: Bored in quarantine, these charming husbands began posting a regular cooking show on their Facebook page. The show gained fans and interest and when it received several nominations for a Broadway World Award, but in random categories, this editor chose this one because it just feels like the cooking segment of a chat show. And the men do a lot of chatting with each other, as they learn in real-time whether or not they can actually make what they have decided to try.

Vote for the REGULARLY SCHEDULED CHAT SHOW that is your favorite HERE.

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