The Tony Awards

It was the theatrical equivalent of ''Shakespeare in Love'' stealing Best Picture from ''Saving Private Ryan'': On June 6, Broadway's ''Avenue Q'' -- the puppet-packed show with the big heart and the bigger Tony award campaign (Trekkie Monster and button) -- won Best Musical over the big-budget witch tale ''Wicked.'' Sure, few saw the furry feat -- what with ''The Sopranos''' finale and the NBA finals -- but those tuned in to CBS saw stars. The net rolled out the red carpet for such high-profile presenters as Renee Zellweger, Nicole Kidman, and Jimmy Fallon. ''I was waiting to be thrown out,'' cracked the ex-''SNL''er, who, along with host/winner Hugh Jackman (''The Boy From Oz''), LL Cool J, and hip-hop homegirl Carol Channing, was on hand to witness Broadway history as Phylicia Rashad became the first African-American woman to win the Tony for lead actress in a play (''A Raisin in the Sun''). Which got us thinking about Puffy power. After all, Rashad stars in ''Raisin'' with Sean Combs, who costarred with Halle Berry in ''Monster's Ball'' -- which made her the first African-American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar. We're guessing Diddy's price tag just doubled.