Emmys Ready to Try Again

LOS ANGELES - The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and CBS have reportedly settled on a time and place for the twice-nixed 53rd Annual Prime-Time Emmy Awards--and no, the show won't be taking place on some top-secret Area 51-style military installation.

The Emmycast will--acts of God permitting--be staged November 4 at the Shubert Theater in Century City, just west of Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Reporter, citing unnamed sources, reported late Tuesday.

Gary Smith will assume producer chores, according to the Reporter, taking over from the departed Don Mischer, who stepped down last week to helm the Winter Olympics ceremonies. Smith has worked with CBS before, producing previous Emmy Awards and such specials as AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills and AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs . He has also overseen TV concert specials for Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond and was one of those responsible for the much loathed Star Wars Holiday Special (George Lucas was reportedly so horrified that he has forbidden it ever to be repeated).
Neither CBS nor TV Academy officials would comment on the report. An official announcement is expected Wednesday.

There's no immediate word whether Ellen DeGeneres will remain the emcee or what form the ceremony will take. Organizers had earlier decided the show would be somber in tone to reflect the postattack national mood; jokes were scrapped and replaced by tributes to the victims and heroes.

The Emmys were originally slated for September 16 at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A. but were called off after the terror attacks and eventually postponed to October 7. When the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan commenced early in the day, organizers decided to nix the show for a second time.

The new date will put the Emmycast on during the key November sweeps period. But, if the World Series goes a full seven games, the final game would be competing with the awards ceremony.

Several TV producers and actors have questioned the appropriateness of rescheduling the Emmys and some are expected to boycott the ceremony. But CBS and the TV Academy, both of which would lose millions of dollars if the show was canceled, had vowed to go on with the seemingly snake-bitten ceremony. They even reportedly considered holding the awards at a military base and busing in the nominees.