Emmy Tries Again Nov. 4

The twice-postponed Emmy Awards will try again Nov. 4, but could run afoul of baseball's World Series. That date also is slated for the final and deciding Series game, if it's necessary.

"The show will go on," CBS President Leslie Moonves said Wednesday.

Ellen DeGeneres will remain as host. The Emmys won't have a satellite studio in New York City, as was planned for earlier this month.

Originally planned for Sept. 16, the show was delayed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. It was rescheduled for Oct. 7 but called off again when the United States and Britain launched a retaliatory strike against Afghanistan that day.

If the World Series goes a full seven games, it would end with a nighttime contest broadcast Nov. 4 on Fox. Moonves noted that the World Series goes a full seven games only about 20 percent of the time.

Despite the potential conflict, an early November broadcast would give CBS a valuable showcase for its special "sweeps" programming for the month. Sweeps periods, held several times a year, are watched closely to set local advertising rates.

The ceremony originally was to have been held at the 6,000-plus seat Shrine Auditorium near downtown. The Shubert, on the city's west side, holds only 1,800 people.

Since the first delay, the television industry has been divided over whether the awards should be re-staged or dropped altogether.

Some participants were worried about safety, although officials said no threats had been received, adding that unprecedented security measures were in place at the Shrine.

Others questioned the propriety of a Hollywood celebration in difficult times. But CBS and the academy were intent on proceeding with the 53rd annual prime-time Emmys.

"There's a lot of money at stake," Moonves said recently.

The network stands to lose advertising dollars and a promotional platform for its programming, while the academy depends on the $3 million-plus network license fee and ticket sales for a large part of its annual budget.

To allay concerns, the Oct. 7 ceremony had been heavily revamped and much of the glamour stripped away. Participants were advised to choose dressy business attire over formal wear and the red-carpet arrival area was scaled back.

The celebration of TV's best was to be mixed with tributes to the heroes and victims of the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington.

After the second cancellation, CBS and the academy considered a number of dates and scenarios, including simply delivering the awards to the winners, holding the show on a studio lot or staging it at a military base with troops in the audience.

Among the heavy hitters in this year's awards ceremony are HBO's mob drama "The Sopranos," with bids in seven categories, and NBC's White House drama "The West Wing," with six nominations. Both are up for best drama series honors.

"The Sopranos" grabbed the most nominations in July, a total of 22, to 18 bids fo “The West Wing.” But after September's creative arts ceremony, the NBC series had four Emmys in hand to one for “The Sopranos.”

In a ceremony last month, awards were announced in categories including outstanding choreography, editing and makeup, and in the new reality series categories.

NBC and Fox received a leading 11 awards, followed by HBO with eight, ABC with seven, and CBS, PBS and UPN with three each.

“Survivor,” the CBS program whose success helped spur the reality series craze in America, was honored as best among programs in which the show's participants competed for a prize.

“American High,” a documentary series about high school students that was dropped by Fox and picked up by PBS, received an Emmy for best reality program that didn't involve a competition.

Four acting awards for guest roles were given out. The winners were Derek Jacobi and Jean Smart for episodes of “Frasier,” Michael Emerson for “The Practice” and Sally Field for “ER.”

More from CBS News