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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONAN O' BRIEN NAMED HOST, KEN EHRLICH AND JEFF ROSS APPOINTED
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF THE 58th ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS
Awards Telecast Set to Air Live on NBC Sunday, August 27
Burbank, CA, May 19, 2006 – Conan O'Brien, critically acclaimed host of NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, has been named host, while veteran television producers Ken Ehrlich (48th Annual Grammy Awards) and Jeff Ross (Late Night with Conan O'Brien) have been appointed as executive producers, of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 58th Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards telecast, airing live on NBC, Sunday, August 27 (8-11 p.m. ET).
The announcement was made jointly today by Dick Askin, Chairman and CEO, Television Academy and Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.
“Conan was a natural choice,” said Reilly. “His comedic talent and hosting expertise coupled with his charm and spontaneity will make for a great show.”
"We are excited about creating a dynamic and innovative Emmy telecast with our imaginative, award-winning executive producers Ken Ehrlich and Jeff Ross," added Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President, Late Night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment. "And Conan has proven to be a perfect Emmy host -- he loves TV and is very funny and unpredictable."
"Conan did a tremendous job when he hosted the Emmys back in 2002 and we are thrilled that he’s returning,” said Askin. “His style of comedy and humor is sure to make this telecast a memorable one and we are thrilled to working with him again."
O'Brien has been combining his talents as writer, performer and interviewer as host of Late Night, for nearly 13 years and in 2009, will take over the reins on the venerable Tonight Show.
In 2002, O'Brien brought his wit and style to his hosting duties on the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards, garnering big laughs and critical acclaim, delivering "one of the funniest opening monologues in Emmy history" according to the Los Angeles Times.
Since 1996, O'Brien and the Late Night writing team have consistently been nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series and in 2003, the show received its first of three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy/Variety Series. The show has been honored six times by the Writers' Guild of America for Best Writing in a Comedy/Variety Series including back-to-back wins in 2005 and 2006.
Ehrlich, who recently executive produced the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, is one of the industry's most accomplished producers of specials, concerts and notable live events.
He has produced 26 Grammy® Award telecasts and created and produced the MTV Movie Awards, VH1 Honors and VH1's acclaimed Divas series. Additional credits include Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards, the Fifth Annual Latin Grammy Awards and the Blockbuster Awards, among numerous other awards shows and tributes.
He has also produced music specials for artists including Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Elton John, the Backstreet Boys, Shania Twain and Ricky Martin on the Network, as well as for *NSYNC, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and Christina Aguilera, among others. Ehrlich has also been involved in the creation and production of the music-related series Motown Live, the Dennis Miller Show and the landmark series Fame and produced the series of specials Women Rock! Girls & Guitars as well as several episodes of Intimate Portraits profiling female musical artists.
This will mark Ehrlich's third time producing the Primetime Emmy Awards. He produced the 32nd Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards in 1980 and last year's 57th Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards.
Throughout his long career in television, Ross has assumed many different roles in the medium—from executive producer to production executive. Ross currently serves as executive producer of NBC's highly rated and critically praised Late Night with Conan O'Brien alongside Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. Ross has been the show's producer since its inception on September 13, 1993.
Hailed by Variety for his "reputation for serving up consistently top-notch fare with a minimal amount of pretension," Ross has been instrumental in the development of the cutting-edge comedy/variety show, including shooting episodes in the most unlikely places. Most recently, Ross, O'Brien and company put together the headline-making episode from Finland and completed a week-long trip to Chicago.
Ross also executive produced the well-regarded primetime specials 50 Years of NBC Late Night and Late Night’s star-packed 10th anniversary special.
Prior to joining Late Night, Ross was executive producer for the influential comedy troupe "The Kids in the Hall" during their run on CBS, HBO and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Ross' additional and varied producer credits include: Paul Simon's Concert in Central Park; the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels pay-per-view special; HBO's Mambo Mouth and Spic-O-Rama starring John Leguizamo, for which Ross won a Cable Ace Award and Rowan Atkinson: Not Just Another Pretty Face, to name just a few.
Produced by NBC Universal Television Studio, the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards on NBC will originate from the historical Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards will be announced July 6 at 5:35 a.m. (PT) from the Television Academy's Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.
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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946 just one month after network television was born. It is a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry. In addition to recognizing outstanding programming through its Emmy® Award, the Television Academy publishes Emmy® Magazine and stages many industry-related programs, services and year-round events for the television community.
For additional press information and resources concerning the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, please direct your inquiries to Robin Mesger of The Lippin Group at (323) 965-1990.
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Press Contacts:
NBC Entertainment Contacts:
Deborah Thomas, NBC Entertainment Publicity
deborah.thomas@nbcuni.com
818-840-3663
Wendy Luckenbill
NBC Entertainment Publicity
wendy.luckenbill@nbcuni.com
818-840-2543
David Gardner
NBC Entertainment Publicity
davidh.gardner@nbcuni.com
818-840-6591
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Contacts:
Robin Mesger, The Lippin Group
rmesger@lippingroup.com
323-965-1990
Pam Golum
The Lippin Group
pgolum@lippingroup.com
323-965-1990
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