Monday, September 23, 2013

NEWS: Emmy In Memoriam & Diversity Controversies; More DAYS Book Tour Videos; New Bethany Joy Lenz Show on E!

Larry Hagman's Son on Emmy "In Memoriam" Controversy
Sunday night's Emmy Awards telecast tried to do something a little different by singling out five stars who had recently passed away and independently eulogizing them with anecdotes from their respective former co-stars and friends.

The stars remembered with a special moment on last night's telecast were James Gandolfini, Jonathan Winters, Jean Stapleton, FAMILY TIES creator Gary David Goldberg, and Cory Monteith. Other stars fondly remembered in the In Memoriam montage included Hagman, Dennis Farina, Annette Funicello, Conrad Bain, Lee Thompson Young, Eileen Brennan, Bonnie Franklin, Jeanne Cooper, Allan Arbus, Charles Durning, Alex Karras, Jack Klugman, Julie Harris, Andy Williams and Roger Ebert.

"I think three seconds was short," Preston Hagman told ET. "I think all of them were short. If you are going to honor [the 'In Memoriam' recipients], honor them with the respect and dignity that they portrayed. Do it for everyone. These are very talented people. The actors that they’re honoring have done so much for the industry... If you're going to respect and recognize them then do it correctly."

Hagman clarifies, "How I felt last night watching [The Emmys] was not anger, it was disappointment. Again, I think my dad was a trailblazer in the industry to set the stage for other actors. So it's not anger, it's definitely disappointment for what he contributed to the profession."

GREY'S ANATOMY star Ellen Pompeo blasts Emmys for lack of diversity
"I didn't see any diversity in the Emmys at all. The Emmys felt so dated to me," she said in an interview Monday. "... That dance number was embarrassing. Did you see one person of color in that dance number?"

Former GUIDING LIGHT and ONE TREE HILL star Bethany Joy Lenz joins E! drama SONGBYRD from GREY'S scribe and SMASH producers
She’ll play Lauren Byrd, a genius songwriter who employs a small staff, including her sister, to enable and manage her eccentric, yet wildly successful process. But when her ex-fiancĂ©e reveals himself to be less than the man she remembers, she comes to the realization that she can no longer live in the past, and must find a new, true inspiration for her sake and those around her.

ARMY WIVES' Sally Pressman joins SCANDAL cast for multi-episode arc
It’s not known who the actress will be playing, but her character is expected to debut in November.

MAD MEN's Jon Hamm to undergo throat surgery for vocal cord polyps
The fully-bearded actor, 42, was on hand at the Hollywood fete Sunday night for his MAD MEN nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, and though he didn't win, Hamm took to the stage to present another award with a noticeably raspier voice.

HBO Entertainment President Sue Naegle To Step Down, Ink First-Look Deal With HBO
Naegle is segueing into producing with the launch of her own company which will have a three-year first-look deal with HBO.



Check out two more DAYS OF OUR LIVES "Better Living" book tour videos below:

DAYS OF OUR LIVES executive producer Greg Meng & star Deidre Hall: The Push to Recapture the Soap Opera Audience
Meng and Actress Deirdre Hall discuss the soaps’ battle for female viewers. They speak with Adam Johnson and Trish Regan on Bloomberg Television’s STREET SMART.



Ari Zucker, Bryan Dattilo join KSDK's FIRST @ 4

1 comment:

  1. I didn't get the chance to see the Emmy telecast but of any of the awards shows, I'd have to say that the In Memoriam segment always seems to garner the most controversy.
    I think the Emmy's probably should have hewed more closely to what the Oscars and the Tony's do, a musical montage where they can fit in all the faces and names.

    Unfortunately, I think TV is really slow to embrace what technology can do. The Emmy's should have had a website or even a You Tube channel where a person can see an interactive, more extensive In Memoriam segment where colleagues talk about the work of each artist and how much that person meant to them as well as to others. During the broadcast, at the conclusion of the segment, there could've been a Chyron on the bottom of the screen that directed people to either the CBS website or the Emmys website where they can see more in depth testimonials and clips for the artists memorialized in the segment.

    CBS in particularly, is woefully behind in their embrace of technology, judging from their cluttered and appallingly inefficient website. Anyone who has had the misfortune of trying to watch streaming video on that site would know exactly what I mean.

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