It’s Time to Recognize Kenan Thompson, ‘SNL’ Legend and Sitcom Star, With an Acting Emmy

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeGreetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is June 28, 2021, which means nomination-round voting ends TODAY. Get your votes in! Meanwhile, it’s 15 days until nominations are announced on July 13; 52  days until final-round voting starts on Aug.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Daytime Emmys aren’t over yet.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is handing out the awards for this year’s broadcast portion of the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, airing on CBS.Among the big winners: “Jeopardy!” once again picked up award for best game show. Executive producer Mike Richards dedicated the award to late host Alex Trebek.“We’ve heard from so many of you since he passed and we know how much he meant to you,” Richards said.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWhen then-Turner Entertainment president Steve Koonin pitched Conan O’Brien on launching a show at TBS, he was upfront with the host: We won’t be able to deliver you an audience as big as the one you had at NBC. But you can do whatever you want.“He was true to his word,” said “Conan” executive producer Jeff Ross.

A difficult year brought out the best in everyone.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeIt was a treat, and stirred the internet as we had hoped. It also came at the start of a yearlong nostalgia binge, as the casts and producers of shows both big and obscure came together, mostly over Zoom, to reminisce and give all of us a little much-needed pick-me-up.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is prepping for a return to normalcy in 2022, including a live, in-person Daytime Emmys at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. But that’s next year.

Kenan Thompson has been down this road before. In 2018, the “Saturday Night Live” legend was Emmy nominated not only in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category but in the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for “Come Back Barack.” He ended up with his first Emmy Award in the latter category.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Television Academy is making a small, but meaningful change in how it recognizes gender-nonbinary performers in the Emmy competition.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe loophole that allowed docs to somehow compete in both Oscars and Emmys was always a bit bizarre. It couldn’t happen in scripted, where the rules have been ironclad: If you were released theatrically first, you’re a movie; if you’re on television, you’re, well, TV.In documentary, though, it’s often TV outlets such as HBO, PBS or Nat Geo commissioning and funding the projects to air on their networks — making them, arguably, TV projects.

Kenan Thompson is a pretty busy guy.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Television Academy first expanded the short form categories in 2016, buoyed by the promise of original fare from Maker Studios, Fullscreen, AwesomenessTV, YouTube Red, Adult Swim and others. Maker and Fullscreen basically don’t exist anymore, and the excitement of the short form races has perhaps further cooled after the Quibi debacle.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeGreetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is June 14, 2021, which means it’s 3 days until nomination-round voting starts on June 17; 11 days until the Daytime Emmys telecast on June 25; 14 days until nomination-round voting ends on June 28; 29 days until nominations are announced on July 13; 66 days until final-round voting starts on Aug. 19; and 97 days until the Primetime Emmys telecast on Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe anthology Emmy category only lasted a year, but a variation of “outstanding dramatic program,” which mostly recognized individual episodes of anthologies such as “Hallmark Hall of Fame,” continued until the 1970s.Now, we’re in a new age of anthologies, spurred by filmmakers eager to tell their stories in episodic fashion (yes, I know, I grit my teeth every time another director claims they’re actually making a series of movies, or one 10-hour film,

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large“Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical” began life as a video by user Emily Jacobsen, who performed an ode to Remy the rat from the animated Disney film. Soon, other TikTok users joined in — most notably, Daniel Mertzlufft, who gave Jacobson’s song the full Alan Menken treatment, complete with orchestra score and 20 vocalists.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large“NBA on TNT” helped give the WarnerMedia-owned network a big lift over its competitors at this year’s 42nd Annual Sports Emmys. Announced late Tuesday, this year TNT won the most Sports Emmys of any single outlet, with 7 — followed closely by ESPN, which earned six.If corporate entities are combined, then the ESPN triumvirate of ESPN, ESPN Plus and ESPN Deportes actually landed the most wins, with five.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargePublic broadcaster KCET once again led all local TV stations in nominations for the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, announced on Tuesday by the Television Academy. KCET landed 23 nods this year overall, up from 20 last year.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeCBS is sticking with “The Talk” talent to host this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards, but with a twist: This year, Sheryl Underwood will handle solo duties. The Eye network announced on Tuesday that Underwood will host the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which airs on Friday, June 25 at 8 p.m.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeGreetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is June 7, 2021, which means it’s 10 days until nomination-round voting starts on June 17; 18 days until the Daytime Emmys telecast on June 25; 21 days until nomination-round voting ends on June 28; 36 days until nominations are announced on July 13; 73 days until final-round voting starts on Aug. 19; and 104 days until the Primetime Emmys telecast on Sept. 19.The first weekend of June was truly an FYC