Emmys Still on, But Sans Glitz
September 26 -- Despite some suggestions that the Emmy ceremony should be skipped altogether this year, the 2001 Emmy Awards are going forward, but with significant changes.
Gone will be the tuxes and gowns, to be replaced by "dressy business attire." There will be a red carpet with the usual cameras, but no fan bleachers. The annual Governors' Ball is now being called a Unity Dinner, and other post-show parties have been canceled.
Ellen DeGeneres is still set to host, but stalwart news anchor Walter Cronkite is expected to open the show.
Must the Show Go on?Show producer Don Mischer, along with execs at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, said Tuesday the show will go on Oct. 7 as previously announced.
"There's been a great divergence of opinion, great passion [about whether the show should be held]," Mischer told Variety.
"[Some people wonder], how can we interrupt this and let terrorists feel satisfaction of changing the way we live? On the other side, people say it feels extremely self-indulgent to even be thinking about an Emmy Award at a time like this."
"People are coming, they are attending, they want to be there," he said. "The only question is from people [from Sex and the City and The Sopranos) coming out from New York. There's some reluctance to get on an airplane and leave loved ones."
How Entertainment Helps in Times of TragedyMischer said that during the program, "We will be doing pieces which focus on things that have happened since Sept. 11," and that segments will also "look at, historically, how entertainment has helped us get through national tragedies in the past."
NYPD Blue star Dennis Franz is set to contribute a taped piece on New York City cops.
Among the stars confirmed as taking part in presenting awards or introducing various segments of the show are Jessica Alba, Wayne Brady, André Braugher, Amy Brenneman, Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Dennis Franz, Andy Garcia, Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Ben Kingsley, Debra Messing, Rob Reiner, and Ray Romano, according to Bryce Zabel, chairman of the Academy.
