Television's Emmy Awards will be presented Sunday night in a ceremony to take place in both Los Angeles and New York. The event was originally scheduled for September 16, but was postponed in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The presentation will mix patriotism with humor.
The Emmys honor the best in American television. This year, the awards show will also feature tributes to the police officers and firefighters who died in New York City in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks. Don Mischner, the show's executive producer, says the ceremony will also have some light moments.
"We will have moments of serious tone," explains Mr. Mischner. " We will have moments in which people on our stage are relating to events of the last three-and-a-half weeks. But at other times, we will have humor, as well."
The ceremony will originate at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. But some guests will participate from New York's Rockefeller Center. They include cast members of The Sopranos, an award-winning series filmed on the East Coast, who will serve as presenters from the New York location. Organizers say the bi-coastal broadcast will allow participants to stay close to home, near their families.
The Emmys are presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the annual awards show attracts the leading stars and producers. The ceremony is usually a formal affair. But in keeping with this year's more somber tone, those who attend are being asked to wear simple business attire. Security will be tight at both locations. Gone this year are the bleachers for fans who hope to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. And airspace above the venues will be restricted.
Jim Chabin, president of the television academy, spoke about preparations at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
"There will be security devices on hand, and [security] personnel, both in uniform and undercover," he says. " And every single person - star, presenter, or attendee -- will have to go through the security search and procedures to come into the area around the Shrine."
The added security will add $1 million to the $3.5 million budget for the program.
A respected former newscaster, Walter Cronkite, will open the show with a commentary, and comedian Ellen DeGeneris will host the program.