Mr. Orange-Power
07-07-2006, 11:26 AM
TV Execs Question Effect Of New Emmy Rules
Thu Jul 6, 2006 11:20pm ET
By Andrew Wallenstein and Ray Richmond
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Did the new Emmy rules create new problems?
That was one of the questions being bandied about the television industry Thursday morning when the results of changes instituted this year to the nomination process to increase diversity in key categories got scrutinized.
The answer depends on whom you ask.
Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt was overjoyed Thursday at his network's record showing of 19 nominations but admitted to feeling "incredibly ambivalent" about the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' experimental formation of a blue-ribbon panel charged with finalizing the list of candidates for the comedy and drama series and lead performer categories.
"I think this new system is as flawed as any I've seen in an awards competition," said Greenblatt, who was particularly dismayed about the omission of "Weeds" star Mary Louise-Parker in the lead actress in a comedy category. "It feels like the electoral college to me as far as being outdated. It's like a version of taking away the popular vote and leaving it to fewer people to make the decisions ultimately."
While the comedy and drama series categories featured such new entrants as CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," WB Network, UPN and basic cable were shut out of those categories. They did make a few inroads in the acting categories, such as the lead actor nod for Denis Leary of FX's "Rescue Me" and lead actress recognition for Kyra Sedgwick in TNT's "The Closer."
Michael Wright, senior vice president original programming at TBS and TNT, gave the new rules the thumbs-up after surveying not only Sedgwick's nomination, but the field-leading 16 nods enjoyed by TNT miniseries "Into the West."
"I have to say I didn't know what to think about the new system when I first heard about it," Wright said. "But I look at the nominations this morning and say, 'Good for the academy.' It seems to have had really positive effects."
But when all was said and done, a long list of series that critics deemed Emmy-worthy were passed over in key categories, including UPN's "Veronica Mars," FX's "The Shield," WB's "Gilmore Girls" and Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica."
"I read a lot about getting the fresh blood in, but there seems to be an awful lot of the same names coming up," Bravo senior vice president programming and production Frances Berwick said.
There were shockers aplenty, like the omission of "Lost" in key categories, as well as no-shows from the heavily favored lead actors from "The Sopranos." "I'm surprised that Edie (Falco) and Jim (Gandolfini) didn't get nominated," HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht said. "I think it defies any theories."
Still, the new voting system did give more than a few actors who have been ignored by Emmy voters for years their first nominations, including Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order: SVU" and Kevin James of "The King of Queens."
Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," noted that a lot of shows were nominated along a broad cross-section of categories.
"The wealth seemed to get spread around amongst many shows in a really lovely way," Rhimes said. "I feel like the new voting system made things more interesting than ever."
For "My Name Is Earl" executive producer Greg Garcia, the nominations were a mixed bag. He was more than gratified to see "Earl" get five nods, but it got shut out of the comedy series and lead actor categories.
"I think Jason (Lee) is outstanding, and I expected him to get a nomination, but you look at the other people who got nominated and I couldn't be disappointed," Garcia said.
Added "Earl" executive producer Marc Buckland (who earned a directing nom for the show's pilot): "My heart sank when our name wasn't called with the comedies and Jason's wasn't with the actors. But it obviously just wasn't meant to be this year."
Ben Silverman, executive producer of "The Office," was thrilled to see how well the NBC series fared, including a comedy series nomination. "I would have liked to have seen more nominations for our supporting actors and more of our writers and directors, but I can't complain," he said. "Outstanding comedy celebrates the work of the entire cast and crew."
However, Showtime's Greenblatt didn't mince words about how Emmy 2006 has shaped up.
"Taken as a group, this nomination list just felt surreal across the board," he said. "Again, I know there is no perfect system. But at some point, they need to try to stop reinventing it every year and give one setup a chance to establish itself."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Thu Jul 6, 2006 11:20pm ET
By Andrew Wallenstein and Ray Richmond
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Did the new Emmy rules create new problems?
That was one of the questions being bandied about the television industry Thursday morning when the results of changes instituted this year to the nomination process to increase diversity in key categories got scrutinized.
The answer depends on whom you ask.
Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt was overjoyed Thursday at his network's record showing of 19 nominations but admitted to feeling "incredibly ambivalent" about the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' experimental formation of a blue-ribbon panel charged with finalizing the list of candidates for the comedy and drama series and lead performer categories.
"I think this new system is as flawed as any I've seen in an awards competition," said Greenblatt, who was particularly dismayed about the omission of "Weeds" star Mary Louise-Parker in the lead actress in a comedy category. "It feels like the electoral college to me as far as being outdated. It's like a version of taking away the popular vote and leaving it to fewer people to make the decisions ultimately."
While the comedy and drama series categories featured such new entrants as CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," WB Network, UPN and basic cable were shut out of those categories. They did make a few inroads in the acting categories, such as the lead actor nod for Denis Leary of FX's "Rescue Me" and lead actress recognition for Kyra Sedgwick in TNT's "The Closer."
Michael Wright, senior vice president original programming at TBS and TNT, gave the new rules the thumbs-up after surveying not only Sedgwick's nomination, but the field-leading 16 nods enjoyed by TNT miniseries "Into the West."
"I have to say I didn't know what to think about the new system when I first heard about it," Wright said. "But I look at the nominations this morning and say, 'Good for the academy.' It seems to have had really positive effects."
But when all was said and done, a long list of series that critics deemed Emmy-worthy were passed over in key categories, including UPN's "Veronica Mars," FX's "The Shield," WB's "Gilmore Girls" and Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica."
"I read a lot about getting the fresh blood in, but there seems to be an awful lot of the same names coming up," Bravo senior vice president programming and production Frances Berwick said.
There were shockers aplenty, like the omission of "Lost" in key categories, as well as no-shows from the heavily favored lead actors from "The Sopranos." "I'm surprised that Edie (Falco) and Jim (Gandolfini) didn't get nominated," HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht said. "I think it defies any theories."
Still, the new voting system did give more than a few actors who have been ignored by Emmy voters for years their first nominations, including Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order: SVU" and Kevin James of "The King of Queens."
Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," noted that a lot of shows were nominated along a broad cross-section of categories.
"The wealth seemed to get spread around amongst many shows in a really lovely way," Rhimes said. "I feel like the new voting system made things more interesting than ever."
For "My Name Is Earl" executive producer Greg Garcia, the nominations were a mixed bag. He was more than gratified to see "Earl" get five nods, but it got shut out of the comedy series and lead actor categories.
"I think Jason (Lee) is outstanding, and I expected him to get a nomination, but you look at the other people who got nominated and I couldn't be disappointed," Garcia said.
Added "Earl" executive producer Marc Buckland (who earned a directing nom for the show's pilot): "My heart sank when our name wasn't called with the comedies and Jason's wasn't with the actors. But it obviously just wasn't meant to be this year."
Ben Silverman, executive producer of "The Office," was thrilled to see how well the NBC series fared, including a comedy series nomination. "I would have liked to have seen more nominations for our supporting actors and more of our writers and directors, but I can't complain," he said. "Outstanding comedy celebrates the work of the entire cast and crew."
However, Showtime's Greenblatt didn't mince words about how Emmy 2006 has shaped up.
"Taken as a group, this nomination list just felt surreal across the board," he said. "Again, I know there is no perfect system. But at some point, they need to try to stop reinventing it every year and give one setup a chance to establish itself."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter