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Emmys night: a few fun facts
LOS ANGELES, Sept 17, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The 70th annual Emmy awards take
place on Monday, with usual favorites “Game of Thrones,” “Saturday Night
Live” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” in the hunt for more hardware.
Here are some fun facts, figures and quirky details about the gala at the
Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars:
– Monday night gala –
Monday is hardly a traditional night for Hollywood parties, but NBC —
which has the broadcast rights to the annual Emmys gala — shifted it from
Sunday night to avoid a clash with its popular National Football League
telecast.
The last time the Emmys occurred on a Monday was in 2014.
Some industry watchers say the switch could sink already low ratings for
the event, as TV fans stray from the long ceremony in favor of checking
winners and watching key moments on social media.
– Emmys records and firsts –
Comedy stalwart “SNL” broke its own record for the most nominations for a
single program — with the 21 nods it snapped up this year, the long-running
NBC late night laugh fest now has an overall total of 252.
The 2018 slate of contenders includes a number of first-time nominees,
among them pop stars (Ricky Martin, Sara Bareilles), Oscar winners (Penelope
Cruz) and even a onetime Doctor Who (Matt Smith, “The Crown”.)
– Three new EGOTs –
A week before the main event, the Television Academy handed out dozens of
awards in secondary categories — the so-called Creative Arts Emmys for
technical and artistic achievement.
NBC’s musical “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” raked in five
awards, including one for best live variety special.
That honor allowed singer John Legend and theater giants Andrew Lloyd
Webber and Tim Rice to claim a rare title — all three now have coveted EGOT
status, with individual Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins.
The trio served as executive producers on the musical, in which Legend
starred as Jesus. He is also up for an Emmy for best actor in a limited
series or movie, an award to be presented at the main event on Monday.
Only 12 people had achieved the feat before them, including Hollywood
legend Mel Brooks, American composer Richard Rodgers, and actresses Whoopi
Goldberg, Rita Moreno and Audrey Hepburn.
“So amazed to be in such rarefied air. #EGOT,” tweeted Legend, the first
black man to achieve the lofty goal.
– Notable nominations –
Allison Janney could tie Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for most
Emmys won by a female performer at eight if she earns another trophy Monday
for her role as a recovering alcoholic on comedy “Mom.”
The Fonz himself, veteran actor Henry Winkler, could take home his first
Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy for his work on HBO’s caustic tale
of a hit man-turned-actor, “Barry.”
And Sandra Oh, the longtime “Grey’s Anatomy” star, could make history if
she wins as best lead actress in a drama for BBC America’s “Killing Eve” —
in July, she was the first woman of Asian descent nominated in a lead actress
category, drama or comedy.
– Emmys, ‘SNL’-style –
“SNL” regulars Colin Jost and Michael Che got the call from their home
network NBC to host this year’s Emmys. It doesn’t hurt that “SNL” creator
Lorne Michaels is producing the show for the first time in 30 years.
Jost and Che host the faux “Weekend Update” newscast on “SNL” — so viewers
should expect a lot of lightning-quick gags and off-the-cuff remarks.
The Emmys begin at 5:00 pm Monday in Los Angeles (0000 GMT Tuesday).
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1150 hrs