Five Nominees to Co-Host Emmys

LOS ANGELES, July 28: All
five nominees from the category of outstanding reality/competition host—Dancing
with the Stars’ Tom Bergeron, Survivor’s Jeff Probst, Deal or No Deal’s Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum of Project Runway and American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest—will host the 60th Annual
Primetime Emmy Awards.

The category for
outstanding reality/competition host is brand new to this year’s ballot.

Vicki Dummer, the senior
VP of alternative series, specials and late night for ABC Entertainment,
commented: “We’re excited by the addition of this new category, as it reflects
the broad appeal of reality television, and think it will be one of the most
competitive moments of the night. We’re thrilled to see these hosts’ roles and
talent recognized, and look forward to watching them do what they do best on
Emmy night.”

“Reality television has
grown exponentially over the past five years and it is now a bona fide
programming sector,” said John Shaffner, the chairman and CEO of the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences. “The Television Academy’s decision to add this
category is a reflection of the importance of this genre, and we are delighted
with the Television Academy’s choice of nominees.”

Ken Ehrlich, the executive
producer of the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, added: “As we thought about
the very important role of a host for this year’s show, it became more and more
apparent that we should ask these people who do such great work as hosts on a
weekly basis to host television’s night to shine. This is what they do best,
and we’re convinced they’ll do a great job for us on Emmy night.”

The awards will air live
from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles on ABC on September 21 at 8 p.m. The 60th
Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is being produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures, with
Renato Basile as producer and Danette Herman as co-producer. Lou Horvitz will
be directing. Last year’s host was Ryan Seacrest.

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski