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Lythgoe & Warwick to Exec Produce 59th Primetime Emmy Awards

Veteran television producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, exec producers of American Idol will exec produce the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 59TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS, which will air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Sept. 16, 2007, 8-11:00 pm ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Nominations for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced July 19, at 5:35 am PT from the Television Academys Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.

The Creative Awards, which will include the Emmys for animation and visual effects, as well as animated programming, will be awarded in the nontelevised ceremony at the Shrine on Sept. 8.

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, said Peter Liguori, president of entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Co.

"Nigel and Ken are terrific producers, and their expertise in live event programming will be a major asset to this year's Primetime Emmy telecast," said Dick Askin, chairman/ceo, Television Academy.

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 todays successful television. It is a great honor and a wonderful challenge.

In addition to his duties as exec producer of AMERICAN IDOL, Lythgoe co-created the summer FOX hit, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, on which he serves as a judge. He also starred with Warwick in their own reality series, CORKSCREWED, which aired on Fox Reality Channel in 2006.

Lythgoe, president of 19 Television, joined 19 as chief exec in 2001 from London Weekend Television, where he was controller of entertainment and comedy. Lythgoe has a host of major U.K. credits, including the U.K. series POP IDOL, GLADIATORS and six ROYAL VARIETY SHOWS. His other exec producer credits include all five previous seasons of AMERICAN IDOL, as well as AMERICAN JUNIORS, ALL AMERICAN GIRL and the specials, AN AMERICAN IDOL CHRISTMAS and WORLD IDOL.

BAFTA Award-winner Warwick is FremantleMedias senior exec producer on worldwide productions of the IDOL format, including AMERICAN IDOL, WORLD IDOL and AN AMERICAN IDOL CHRISTMAS. Warwick was series producer for the inceptual U.K. show POP IDOL, which received Europes top television award, the Golden Rose of Montreux (the Rose dOr), and four National Television Awards for Best Entertainment Program.

Warwick has also produced primetime entertainment shows both for the BBC and ITV, including GLADIATORS, ROYAL TOURNAMENT coverage and DONT TRY THIS AT HOME for ITV. In summer 2006, Warwick also exec produced AMERICAS GOT TALENT.

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