Emmys confront issues in charged political climate

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Politics is bound to be front and center at this year's Emmy ceremony, which takes place in Los Angeles on September 21 just five weeks before the presidential election.

But even if no one mentions such key words as McCain or Obama or Bush, presidential dramas "John Adams" and "Recount" will be vying for key honors in the longform category. Other nominees, announced Thursday, reflect the modern cultural climate.

TNT's eight-time nominee "The Company" chronicles the history of the Cold War, while the 1950s-set "A Raisin in the Sun," though not political, touches on today's economic and social realities. It received three nominations.

"There's no way not to look at the correlation with a black presidential candidate, racism, poverty and the hard economic times and people struggling to keep their head above water," "Raisin" executive producer Craig Zadan said. "It's amazing how this is a period drama and yet how contemporary it is to the world we are living in."

HBO's "John Adams," about the second U.S. president, claimed the most nominations of any single program -- 23. The cable channel's "Recount," about the turbulent events following the 2000 presidential election, picked up 11. Both saw perfectly timed releases with the highly contested primary season.

"I don't think that when we were shooting 'Recount' even last November that we could have possibly known that the primary election would have become such a huge focus and drawn out so many more people," said Kevin Spacey, nominated for his role in the movie.

Kirk Ellis, who received a writing nomination for "John Adams," said he hoped politics would not play too much of a role in the selection of the Emmy winners.

"I like to think whatever wins, will win on its merits and not because it's making some political point that academy voters want to make," he said. "But I think it's unavoidable that politics will be discussed."

Then comes the question whether ABC will choose to air political remarks. Last year, Fox bleeped winner Sally Field when she made a spontaneous anti-war statement that included the word "goddamn."

Emmys executive producer Ken Ehrlich acknowledged the potentially politically charged atmosphere but said he's not inclined to limit what can be said on the show.

"Obviously, there are FCC guidelines, but you want spontaneity, you want unpredictability," he said. "I've always had a great faith in the talent in our industry. I really trust their judgment. They have very seldom if ever let us down."

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences isn't turning a blind eye to the process. With so many nominations for "John Adams" and the awards happening so close to the presidential election, the ceremony will have a salute to presidents and politics.

"We're planning to acknowledge not just the election but the role of the president and presidential politics in the show," Ehrlich said.

While "John Adams" is expected to sweep the Emmy awards, Ellis said he's proudest of how the miniseries has contributed to the increased attention to politics.

"People are now thinking again about civic engagement and how they can contribute to their town, their city, their state, their country," he said. "I think John Adams is smiling somewhere."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter