The Television Academy’s rules changes for the 73rd Emmy Awards competition have been announced, including new and restructured awards categories.
“Our annual review of Emmy rules and procedures is more important than ever,” said Television Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma, president of RadicalMedia. “Our Awards Committee and Board of Governors undertake this annual evaluation with a very thoughtful and analytical approach, to ensure that the Emmys remain relevant and in step with our industry’s ongoing evolution.”
As a result of that process, the Board approved a number of changes for the 2021 Emmy Awards rules and procedures, as recommended by the Awards Committee, notable of which are:
Variety Talk and Variety Sketch Series merged into one category: Outstanding Variety Series
Variety Talk and Variety Sketch Series were previously awarded in one category, until they were split in 2015. The categories have been re-combined into one category for Outstanding Variety Series.
Categories for individual achievements in Variety Series will continue to include both Variety Talk and Variety Sketch Series.
Short Form Comedy/Drama Series and Short Form Variety Series merged into one category: Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
The two short form program categories, both of which include scripted programming, have been combined into one category for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.
Anthology Series eligibility moved to Limited Series, creating new Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category
Anthology series will now enter the Emmy competition with Limited Series, resulting in a new category — Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. This will align storytelling formats throughout the competition. Individual achievements will compete in the relevant categories as defined by the program category.
Previously, an anthology series could enter the competition in either the Comedy or Drama Series categories, or entrants could break up the series into individually entered, stand-alone movies.
New category: Outstanding Stunt Performance by an Individual or Team in a Drama, Comedy, Limited Series or Movie
This new award will recognize stunt performers themselves; previously, there have only been stunt coordination categories.The award will acknowledge actual stunt artists whose performances across the global television medium are integral to storytelling each season. Team entries will be capped at four entrants.
Additional items and clarifications include:
To clarify the distinction between theatrical motion pictures and television movies during the ongoing pandemic, any non-documentary film placed on the AMPAS viewing platform for Oscar consideration will be deemed a theatrical motion picture, and thus ineligible for the Emmy competition.
Additionally, the previously announced rule will apply: Effective in 2021, any programs that have been nominated for an Oscar are no longer eligible to enter the Primetime Emmy Awards competition.
In regards to Children’s Programming, as previously confirmed on Nov. 2, the Television Academy and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have agreed to migrate all potential Children’s Programming entries previously submitted in the Primetime Emmys to the Daytime Emmys. In addition, Children’s Animated Programs, which target an audience aged 6-12, will also migrate to the Daytime Emmy competition.
As the majority of Children’s Programming categories have historically been awarded in the Daytime Emmys, the decision eliminates confusion and streamlines the submissions process.
Daytime Programming, Children’s Programming and Animation peer groups will continue to vote on excellence in children’s programming for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Daytime Emmys.
Additional changes or clarifications were approved that maintain the integrity of the Emmy Awards in many Creative Arts categories, by further defining eligibility and qualifications, refining the submissions processes and requiring added pre-entry vetting. In some cases, existing categories have been combined or streamlined. The complete list of awards changes for the 73rd Emmy Awards can be found here.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More