Hoping to create the same kind of emotion that Fox dishes out regularly on American Idol, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has tabbed Idol executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick to produce the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
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"Nigel and Ken have consistently raised the creative bar with their innovative work on American Idol and we believe they will continue to do so during their first Emmy telecast," added Liguori.
Lythgoe is currently the president of 19 Television, and in addition to serving as executive producer of Idol, he also co-created (and serves as a judge on) Fox's So You Think You Can Dance summer reality competition series.
"The Emmy Awards not only celebrate excellence in television, the Emmy Awards are excellent television," said Lythgoe. "Star power, production values, drama, suspense, tears and euphoria, just like an American Idol finale. While appreciating the traditional and maintaining the high standards of past Emmy Award ceremonies, we will also be recognizing the ever-changing landscape of today's successful television. It is a great honor and a wonderful challenge."
Warwick currently serves as FremantleMedia's senior executive producer on worldwide productions of the Idol format, including both American Idol and World Idol. Last summer, he also executive produced NBC's America's Got Talent reality series.
"I am thrilled to be invited by the Television Academy to produce this years Emmy telecast," said Warwick. "Shows with the prestige of the Emmys are a producers dream, so I am really looking forward to the challenge and am confident we will produce for Fox the best Emmys to date."
Nominations for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards -- which will recognize the year's most outstanding television programming -- will be announced Thursday, July 19 at 8:35AM ET from the Television Academy's Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
