Posted: 4:16 am
August 26, 2008
'TELEVISION HAS proved that people will look at anything rather than each other," said the late Ann Landers.
The Emmy Awards take place on Sept. 21 at the Nokia Theatre, downtown Los Angeles. This year, it's ABC's turn to host the event. (The four networks take turns at this chore.)
What's new this time around is that FX has scored with "Damages" and AMC has scored with "Mad Men," and these are the first basic-cable shows to receive more drama nominations than their brethren in the Big Four. When the networks' contract with the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences expires in 2010, then FX, AMC and USA cable will be asking if they can televise the show.
Here are some facts and figures in rare Emmy history, and we do thank Variety for its help:
First-time Emmy nominees this year include Don Rickles, Carrie Fisher, Gabriel Byrne, Howie Mandel, Catherine Keener, Paul Giamatti, Ralph Fiennes, Kevin Spacey and Anjelica Huston.
The very first Emmys were held in 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club and they recognized only achievements in LA-area programming.
The person who has been nominated most without winning is the great champ of "Rescue Me," Charles Durning. He has had nine nominations. He is closely followed by Alec Baldwin, who has had seven, and Ryan Seacrest, who has had six.
Candice Bergen, nominated this year for "Boston Legal," holds the record for the most Emmys ever won by a female for the same role in the same series. She took home five Emmys as "Murphy Brown" and then declined to let herself be nominated any more.
James L. Brooks - the man responsible for "Taxi" . . . "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" . . . "The Tracey Ullman Show" . . . "The Simpsons" - holds the record for most Emmys won by an individual. The writer-producer has taken home 19 of the winged Emmys.
Six-time nominee George Carlin never won an Emmy, but will receive a posthumous nod for "George Carlin . . . It's Bad for Ya!" if it should win. Both Ingrid Bergman ("A Woman Called Golda") and Marion Lorne ("Bewitched") won after their deaths.
"Frasier" has won the most gold, 37 Emmys to its credit. "ER" is up this year with two more nominations to add to its record-setting total of 122. Only "Cheers" comes close, with 117 nominations.
