The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will take another stab at
conducting an Emmy Awards ceremony, albeit a scaled-down version.
The ceremony has been canceled twice: once in the wake of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks and once when the bombing of Afghanistan began hours before
the first rescheduled date.
Now, ceremony planners will pray for a short World Series. Should the Major
League Baseball championship go a full seven games, the deciding contest on Fox
will conflict with the Emmy telecast, now slated for Nov. 4.
ATAS said that in the interest of security, it even considered holding the
awards at a military base, and it had the permission of President George W. Bush
to do so. But that plan was branded a logistical nightmare both by the TV crews
and the military.
Gowns and black tie are out and 'dressy business' is in for the ceremony,
which has been moved to the 2,000 seat Shubert Theater in West Los Angeles. The
post-award gala banquet will now be a 'unity dinner' at the neighboring Century
Plaza Hotel.
Screaming bleachers full of fans are also out, although the ceremony will
still feature red-carpet arrivals and press coverage, according to
ATAS.
