Emmy noms reflect scope of comedy-variety shows
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The nominees for director of a variety, musical or comedy series Emmy kept plenty of chainsaws in the air at once.
“These directors have gotta be really fast — when you make a judgment (for the Emmy), you’re looking for speed, agility and storytelling,” says Gil Cates, secretary-treasurer of the Directors Guild of America and a former producer of the Academy Awards. Allan Kartun took on the bittersweet finale of “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” which effortlessly hopped from biting wit to tearful goodbyes and a Will Ferrell-fronted musical jam. The densely packed, Betty White-hosted “Saturday Night Live” — with guests like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — was sewn up by Don Roy King. Chuck O’Neil’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” featured a gospel choir that seared Fox News, James Hoskinson told the story of “The Colbert Report” in Iraq and Jerry Foley wove the cast of “The Addams Family” into the “Late Show with David Letterman.” All the nominees certainly demonstrated agility this year, streamlining the spectacles of farewells, supersized casts and offsite shoots. And Cates believes whoever wins will do so by a slim margin. “It’s like judging an ice-skating competition,” he says.Emmy breakthrough for newbie directors | Drama and comedy noms | Variety, music or comedy series noms | Nonfiction noms | Miniseries, movie noms
