Normally, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences focuses, as their name suggests, on awarding television. But now Emmy awarders are moving towards recognizing non-traditional media as well, by handing out Emmys to other platforms, including content produced for computers, video on demand, blogs, and even cell phones.
Don’t think this means you’ll see a popular web series like Red vs. Blue nominated for an Emmy. The first nominations have gone out, and a lot of them end up going to big corporate entities. MTV got a nod for a celebrity speaking series called “Stand In”, AOL got a nomination for their coverage of “Live 8”, and Fox got a nomination for "24 Conspiracy", a version of "24" produced for cell phones with a different cast. . Other things no one has ever seen were also nominated. An online series from CB Films called “Sophie Chase”, Riddle Productions Online’s “Stranger Adventures: Helen Beaumont” and the animated blog “It’s Jerrytime” by Ozone Inc. round out the slightly less commercial end of the list.
The real question here is, does anyone care? I’ve never even heard of most of this stuff, and odds are neither have you. They’re the equivalent of the short film category at the Oscars. You know, the one you use as an opportunity to get up and refresh your snacks. But if the Emmy’s are moving this direction, how long till we have an award for the best My Space account? Best cell phone wallpaper? This year’s ceremony will merit more than the usual amount of fast forwarding.
