Emmys relents, it’s all l-i-v-e.

The Emmy Awards has buckled to industry pressure over its  plans to pre-record 8 awards prior to the live telecast and air them in an edited form.

Now all 28 Emmys will be presented live.

The eight categories to be denied live presentation were miniseries, movie, movie/mini supporting actor and actress, movie/mini directing, movie/mini writing, drama series writing, and variety directing.

Both the Writer’s and the Director’s Guilds had protested strongly over the plans. Both guilds planned to revoke the Emmys’ access to free TV clips to use during the telecast.

HBO had also been furious about the shift given it dominates the miniseries field. “For a show that has always recognized the best in the television industry, it now seems to be increasingly focused on recognizing broadcast network television,” said a spokesman at the time. “That is unfortunate given the range and calibre of talent represented in these categories which are being singled out for time-shifting.”

In a statement released today, TV academy Chairman/CEO John Shaffner said, “This decision was made to mend relationships within the television community and to allow executive producer Don Mischer to focus his full attention on producing the creative elements in the telecast. Our goal is to celebrate the year in television, honor excellence and this year’s great achievements with the support of our industry colleagues and our telecast partner, CBS.”

The Emmys will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris on September 20 and screens in Australia 10am Monday September 21st on Arena.

Emmy Nominees

Source: LA Times