Gold Standard: Emmys 2015: Rule changes and why we don’t have to wake up so darn early

Did the collective teeth-gnashing of hundreds West Coast journalists finally produce a sound so awful and annoying that it prompted the television academy to move the time it reveals Emmy nominations from a soul-crushing 5:30 a.m. PDT to a more reasonable hour?

Probably not. The fact that Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is the New Black”) and Cat Deeley (“So You Think You Can Dance”) will announce this year’s Emmy class at 8:30 a.m. PDT reflects on the academy’s belief that the East Coast news shows don’t matter quite as much when it comes to spreading the word in this modern age of social media. So why not let everyone -- nominees, executives, publicists, floral and fruit basket arrangers -- get a little more sleep? Or at least have another three hours to binge-watch all that Emmy-worthy programming?

You can watch a live stream of Aduba and Deeley reading the nominations at the academy’s website. And before you do, a refresher on what’s different about the Emmys this year.

Full Coverage: Emmys 2015

Series categories expand. More nominees!

From the academy: “Due to the dramatic increase in series production, the number of nominees for ‘comedy’ and ‘drama’ series has been increased from six to seven.”

Just don’t expect the cries of “snubbed!” to contract. Emmy traditions die hard.

Comedies are 30 minutes. Except for “Shameless.” Or “Jane the Virgin.” Or “Glee.”

From the academy: “Any series where the average length of an episode is approximately 30 minutes is eligible to enter as a “comedy”; any series where the average length of an episode is approximately 60 minutes is eligible to enter as a “drama.” Producers may formally petition a new academy industry panel to consider their series’ eligibility in the alternative category.”

“Orange Is the New Black” petitioned to be placed as a comedy, as it was last year (it led the comedy field with 12 nominations), but was denied. It will compete as a drama.

The “Shameless’” appeal was approved, as were requests from the producers of “Jane the Virgin” and “Glee.” (Another show unsuccessfully petitioned to move to comedy as well, according to Television Academy Chairman Bruce Rosenblum, declining to offer specifics. Netflix was the culprit when it came to spilling the beans about “Orange.”)

Timeline: Emmy winners through the years

Guest actors can’t be on almost every episode.

From the academy: “Only performers appearing in less than 50% of a program’s episodes are now eligible to submit in the guest actor category.”

More people will vote for the winners.

From the academy: “All voters eligible to vote in a category’s nominating round are now eligible to vote in that category’s final round, so long as they meet two additional requirements: Voters must watch the required submitted material online and attest to no specific conflicts of interest with the nominees.”

Will the expanded pool of voters shake things up? Probably not. It’s the Emmys! But we’ll have plenty of time to analyze that particular between now and when Andy Samberg hosts the Emmys on Sept. 20. For now, let’s celebrate the honored nominees -- and the extra three hours of sleep!

Twitter: @glennwhipp