Behind the News
The folks at the TV Academy clearly have gotten the message.
Variety has word tonight that "How I Met Your Mother" star Neil Patrick Harris is in final talks to serve as host as this year's Emmys. It's news that is, at once, fully logical-- and completely mind-blowing.
It's a no-brainer because anyone who watched Harris helm the Tony or TV Land Awards knows that this man has mad hosting skills, as the kids might say (20 years ago). He's charming, funny, and, most of all, fully in command of his audience.
With CBS this year's Emmy home, and "HIMYM" moving to a new timeslot on the Eye this fall, executives at the network would have been insane not to fight for Harris as host.
But this is the Emmys we're talking about. The TV Academy.
Logic doesn't always enter into the equation when you're talking about any big organization and its annual award shows. So many different factions need to be satisfied when decisions are made, often times the only possible choice is the safe one.
How else to explain the decision to have a hodgepodge of reality hosts (horribly) handle last year's Emmys? It was a compromise.
And that's why the call to give the show to Harris is such a stunner.
Yes, he's been nominated for an Emmy before, but his show hasn't. I'll bet a big chunk of the Academy hasn't even heard of "HIMYM."
Remember, this is an organization that as recently as 20 years ago thought it made sense to have John Forsythe host the Emmys. Three different years! (OK, it was during the "Dynasty" craze, but still...).
Most past Emmy hosts have been either very well-known comics (Conan, Ellen, Garry) or very big primetime stars (Ryan Seacrest, Angela Lansbury, Tim Allen).
Who knows-- maybe Harris isn't such a radical choice. Perhaps, when nobody was looking, "HIMYM" graduated from buzz show to blockbuster. It certainly had the ratings last season to qualify as one of the biggest sitcoms on TV.
No matter the logic. The Academy deserves credit for agreeing to the Harris choice. He will bring new blood and new interest to a show that is sorely in need of both.
While everyone's in a radical mood, two other suggestions:
First, why not ask Carter Bays and Craig Thomas-- the creators of "HIMYM"-- to serve as head writers for this year's Emmys? Conan O'Brien brought his team with him when he hosted the show; why shouldn't Harris?
The Academy and CBS also should lean heavily on some of TV's most fertile comic minds to pitch in to make this year's show memorable.
That means getting the Lonely Island team (that's Andy Samberg's crew) to produce a series of short films for the show. Samberg killed at the MTV Movie Awards; he and his boys need to be enlisted for the Emmy cause.
And, on a non-Emmy note, CBS should immediately sign a holding deal with Harris anticipating his post-"HIMYM" career.
No, I'm not talking about a deal for another sitcom. How about these six words:
"Late Show with Neil Patrick Harris."
Continue reading The TV Academy Gets It Right: Why Neil Patrick Harris is Such a Stunning Choice for Emmy Host
The War on Late Night
The late-night race is getting closer. A lot closer.
"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" beat "Late Show with David Letterman" Monday-- but just barely. According to major market overnight Nielsen numbers, "Conan" notched a 3.1/8, just ahead of "Letterman's" 3.0/8. It was easily the smallest margin of victory for O'Brien since he took over "Tonight" a week ago.
Letterman got a boost Monday from one of his most popular guests: Howard Stern. O'Brien, meanwhile, lacked major starpower, making due with David Duchovny and Anna Friel.
These are overnight household numbers, of course. NBC (and late night insiders) are looking to Thursday, when Nielsen releases the first demographic data on the new "Tonight." The hope at NBC is that while some older viewers might have left "Tonight" post-Jay Leno, younger viewers might be coming on board.
Continue reading Late Night Ratings Watch: Conan Beats Dave-- But Just Barely
Scoop
UPDATED 3:37 p.m.
CBS and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences are moving up the date of this year’s Emmy broadcast to Sept. 13, a week earlier than first announced.
The network and the TV Academy had planned to air the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20. But after that decision was made, the NFL came out with its Sunday schedule, and it turned out CBS had a football doubleheader on Sept. 20.
Football almost always bleeds over into primetime when networks have doubleheaders. And because CBS is loathe to pre-empt “60 Minutes,” broadcasting the Emmys on Sept. 20 would have likely resulted in the awards starting late. CBS and the Academy decided it made sense to simply move the Emmys a week earlier.
The decision has other benefits.
The primetime NFL game scheduled for Sept. 13 on NBC—the Bears vs. the Packers-- is expected to be less of a barnburner than the Sept. 20 showdown (the Giants and Cowboys).
“It’s the right thing to do,” said CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl. “This benefits us, and it benefits the Academy.”
The rescheduling could play havoc with the Creative Arts Emmys, which are currently set for Sept. 12. It would be odd to hold back-to-back ceremonies, but having them a week earlier would be equally awkward since it will be Labor Day Weekend.
"The rescheduling of the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast may affect the location and date of the Creative Arts Awards, which is currently under consideration," an ATAS spokeswoman said.
Nominations for this year’s Emmys are still set to be revealed July 16.
Continue reading CBS, TV Academy Move Emmys to Sept. 13
