An Emmy Award (艾美奖 ài měi jiǎng), or simply Emmy, recognizes excellence in all aspects of the television industry. It corresponds with the Academy Awards (Oscars) for movies, the Tony Awards for theatre, and the Grammy Awards for music.
Because Emmy Awards are given in various sectors of the United States television industry, they are presented in different annual ceremonies held throughout the year. The two events that receive the most media coverage are the Primetime Emmys (黄金时段艾美奖) and the Daytime Emmys (日间艾美奖).
And who doesn’t love a good-natured popularity contest!
History
The Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 电视艺术与科学学院 (ATAS) established the Emmy Award as part of an image-building and public relations opportunity. The first Emmy Awards were presented on January 25, 1949, at the Hollywood Athletic Club, but solely to honor shows produced and aired locally in the Los Angeles area. Shirley Dinsdale has the distinction of receiving the very first Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality.
Today, the awards ceremonies honor shows produced and aired all over the USA and on all different mediums, including online-only series starting in 2013.
The Emmy Statuette
The award itself depicts a winged woman holding an atom, and was designed by television engineer Louis McManus in 1948, who used his wife as the model. The statuette “has since become the symbol of the TV Academy’s goal of supporting and uplifting the art and science of television: The wings represent the muse of art; the atom the electron of science.”
Each Primetime Emmy statuette weighs six pounds, twelve-and-a-half ounces (3.08 kg), and is made of copper, nickel, silver and gold. The statue stands 15.5 inches (39 cm) tall with a base diameter of 7.5 inches (19 cm) and weight of 88 oz (2.5 kg). Each takes five and a half hours to make and is handled with white gloves to prevent fingerprints. The Primetime Emmy statues are manufactured by R.S. Owens & Company based out of Chicago, Illinois, which is also charged with manufacturing the Academy Award statues.
Also, of note, the terms of the statuette’s copyright say that it always needs to be facing left. No one really knows why.
This year’s ceremony is hosted by ABC’s late night comedian, Jimmy Kimmel, who hopes to bring humor and happiness to everyone in attendance and maybe also to everyone watching at home.
The Nominations
Here’s a short list of the top awards being given away this year… have you seen any of these shows*?
**Vote for your favorite at the bottom of this post!
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Americans (FX)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Mr. Robot (USA)
Homeland (Showtime)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Veep (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot (USA)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (Netflix)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)
Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
Aziz Ansari, Master of None (Netflix)
Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (Fox)
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish (ABC)
Laurie Metcalfe, Getting On (HBO)
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)