Emmys, once delayed, now canceled

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – The Emmy Awards telecast, delayed three weeks by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was canceled Sunday after the United States and Britain launched a military attack in Afghanistan.

The first cancellation in the 53 years of the Emmy Awards came as host Ellen DeGeneres was rehearsing her role on stage at the Shrine Auditorium. Workers soon began rolling up the red carpet outside the venue.

“We turned on our TVs again, and here it was a war action again,” said Jim Chabin, president of the Academy of Television Arts &Sciences, which presents the awards. “We thought, we can’t go on. We thought this is not the time to have a celebration, as much as we wanted to do it.”

There were no Emmy security concerns, only questions of whether it was appropriate to stage the program under the circumstances, Chabin said.

“It’s a sacrifice we gladly make for the country,” he said. “There will be another time for another awards show.”

TV stars such as Dennis Franz of “NYPD Blue,” a best dramatic actor nominee, said through publicists that they agreed with the decision. He had been scheduled to make a pre-recorded tribute to New York City police officers for the telecast.

The television industry had grappled in the weeks since the attack with the propriety of holding a celebration such as the Emmys, which would have been the first major awards show to go ahead. The Recording Academy canceled its 2nd Annual Latin Grammys, which had been scheduled the same day as the terrorist attacks.

The Television Academy and CBS had hoped that a three-week delay from the original Emmy air date of Sept. 16, and a muted, more solemn ceremony would be seen as acceptable.

Virtually all of the nominees and presenters had reaffirmed their willingness to take part in the ceremony after revisions were announced, including less glamour and celebration.

Emmy organizers asked participants to cut back on red-carpet arrival fanfare and forgo showy gowns and tuxedoes in favor of business attire. Veteran newsman Walter Cronkite was invited to help set a serious tone, and the ceremony was to include tributes to heroes and victims of the attacks.

HBO’s mob drama “The Sopranos” had bids in seven categories, while NBC’s White House drama “The West Wing” held six nominations. Both were up for best drama series honors.