Emmys’ Variety Talk Series Category Needs an Overhaul. Here’s One Way to Blow It Up (Column)

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAnd so it begins. The most unusual Emmy season in history finally arrived at the moment that everyone’s been waiting for, the actual awards, on Monday night, as the first of five Creative Arts ceremonies got underway.The Creative Arts Emmys, which is normally an in-person event at the Microsoft Theatre over two nights the weekend before the Primetime Emmy telecast, will instead take place Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeNetflix has given a 10-episode, straight-to-series order to a new animated take on Norman Lear’s classic sitcom “Good Times.” Lear and his Act III Prods.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeLast month, when the Television Academy asked Creative Arts Emmy nominees to pre-tape their acceptance speeches, it caused a bit of a stir.

Pete Hammond Awards Columnist/Chief Film CriticHBO has been familiar in the Outstanding Limited Series winners circle, last year triumphing overwhelmingly with Chernobyl, even though Netflix gave them a run for their money with When They See Us. This year the two will go head to head again, but HBO seems to have the magic touch here, and, if not them, it has been FX in past seasons, with Ryan Murphy fare, such as The People v.

told the Associated Press.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeJimmy Kimmel has been a part of my life since the moment I arrived in Los Angeles in 1996 and started listening to him every morning as Jimmy the Sports Guy on KROQ’s “Kevin & Bean Show.” As a radio geek myself, I’ve always loved that Kimmel started in radio, where it’s live; you must think fast and you have to rely on your instincts since there’s no audience to give you immediate feedback.In many ways, radio was the perfect training ground for Kimmel as

Invictus Games competitor JJ Chalmers.NFL player Jason Bell will be hoping to make a name for himself here in the UK while Bill Bailey will be showing a more serious side during some of the routines. Good Morning Britain's Ranvir Singh is another competitor with close connections to a former Strictly hopeful and will likely turn to Susanna Reid for tips.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAdult Swim’s “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” FX’s “Archer” and NBC’s “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” are among this year’s first batch of Emmy victors, as the Television Academy announced juried award winners on Tuesday.The juried categories included nods for choreography, interactive programming and motion design, which will be handed out on Thursday, Sept.

Ann-Marie Corvin This year’s crop of Conecta Fiction short form series presentations offer up young, mostly female ensemble casts and a healthy dash of dark humor.The five finalists – which include three Spanish entries, one Portuguese script and another from Argentina – will pitch their half-hour episode projects on site at Pamplona’s Baluarte Palace of Congress on Sept. 2 and Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs the 72nd Emmys goes virtual, so will the media that covers it.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeHas variety sketch peaked? This year’s Emmy category got caught in the rule change that limited the number of nominations in proportion to the number of contenders submitted — and with just 14 entries, that meant only three ballot slots.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWith less than a month to go before the Primetime Emmys, the telecast’s producers are still building the show and figuring out how to make it as live — and safe — as possible.

Gloria Estefan, her daughter, and niece have agreed on a safe word to stop them revealing too much on their new Facebook Watch series.The three women will front the new family talk show – a spin-off from Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk hit – and Gloria reveals they had to come up with a word or phrase they could use to end a conversation if it gets too close for comfort.The pop superstar says, “There’s a secret word – ‘pineapple’ – and we’re supposed to shut up, because when we start

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeMiss Monster is popping up at iconic spots all over Los Angeles in support of Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” while also promoting a pandemic-appropriate message: Wear a mask.Staring Aug. 20, the “Masked Singer” activation features the show’s “Miss Monster” character at the Santa Monica Pier and taking over the famous Randy’s Donuts sign.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSometimes, the laugh’s on us. Last year, at the start of Emmy campaign season, most pundits believed it would be a race to the finish between Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Television Academy has finished updating 2020’s Emmy nomination roster, and three overachievers stand out from the pack: Kerry Washington, Daniel Levy and Will Ferrell, all of whom earned four nods this year.Close behind them, Jason Bateman, Jimmy Kimmel, Issa Rae, Maya Rudolph and RuPaul each have three nominations.The TV Academy released the updated numbers after vetting producer credits for all Emmy-nominated narrative programming (comedy and

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeTyler Perry and his Perry Foundation will be honored by the Television Academy as the recipient of this year’s Governors Award, which will be handed out during the Primetime Emmys televised event on Sunday, Sept. 20.Perry is the first individual to receive the Governors Award since 2014; last year, the Academy opted not to give out the honor at all.