Awards Boards Keep Apples From Oranges

Prime-time Emmys--like Oscars, Grammys and Tonys--are constantly vulnerable to criticism. It’s a reality that comes to those who present awards. Another reality is the impossibility of pleasing all factions. Criteria for awards judgments from all of these prestigious organizations is always based on fairness.

Two of the latest critics of some recent prime-time Emmy Awards decisions are Maggie Roswell in her Counterpunch article (“Regarding ‘The Simpsons’: Let’s Call a Comedy a Comedy,” Calendar, April 13) and the Times’ Rick Du Brow in his March 17 Calendar column.

Roswell, a voice-over actress with “The Simpsons,” wants the animated program moved into the comedy series category. Some others agree with her. Those who disagree argue that combining animation with live-action is like comparing apples to oranges. Roswell counters that a fruit salad would make a better overall meal for the academy in this category.

A majority of members of the television academy’s board of governors disagrees. They’ve debated this proposal over the last two years and, more recently, during three successive board meetings.

The question was argued from every possible point of view before a vote decided to keep the categories separate, feeling it is in the academy’s “best interest.”

It must be noted that the TV academy voted “The Simpsons” Emmys for outstanding animated series for the last two years, with Emmy statues going to the executive producers, producers, writers and directors. Those Emmys are certainly a recognition of excellence by the academy for the work of this remarkable series.

We’re surprised, however, that Roswell overlooked noting that the TV academy has just created a new “juried” award for voice-over actors and actresses (most often these are the voices of animated characters). In the past, voice-over actors had to compete with live-action actors. We’re willing to bet that Roswell doesn’t prefer fruit salad when it comes to these two new categories.

Du Brow, who we consider to be one of the best TV journalists, took the academy to task for resorting to placement of guest performers in a series in competition with lead actors and actresses in series. Here’s a case where the academy agrees about comparing apples to oranges, while its critics disagree.

This latest Emmy rule, however, guarantees one to two nomination slots to guest performers in eight actor categories, and allows future guest performer nominees to be a part of the prime-time network telecast. It had been impossible to include guest performers on recent telecasts since those telecasts are as full as they can possibly be and there is no room for further expansion.

In fact, the academy must work to reduce the number of Emmys presented on its telecast.

What we would like Roswell, Du Brow and other critics to understand is that each and every award issue that arises is given a full and fair chance for consideration and debate by the academy’s executive peer groups and awards committees. But in the end, it is the board of governors of the academy, the full membership’s elected officials, who decide.

Emmys, Oscars, Grammys and Tonys are high-profile awards that will always be subjects of criticism. It comes with the awards territory.

As for the Emmys, the academy board sometimes believes fruit salad is wrong, unfair and dyspeptic, and sometimes believes fruit salad is right, fair and nutritious. It’s all part of an on-going TV academy process of fairness that is taken most seriously by every committee and board member.