Award Central News

The essay component is one of a handful of rules recently adopted by the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences as Emmy season fast approaches.

Also getting a revise: series and acting nominees will now be chosen by a mix of a blue-ribbon panel and the Academy-wide popular vote.

And in what observers have dubbed the "Ellen Burstyn rule," nominees in the actor or actress in a miniseries/movie categories will have had to appear in at least 5% of the longform for eligibility.

Academy insiders said the new essay rule was introduced to address last year's concern that serialized shows like "Lost" fare poorly in the blue ribbon screenings -- where the show's complex mythology baffles voters who haven't been watching.

Now, producers will be given a chance to briefly explain the context of the episode they've submitted. Essays can be as long as 250 words (handy for a heavily layered show like "Lost" or "Heroes") or as few as five words (for shows that are self-explanatory, like "CSI").

Thesps will be asked to include an essay as well in the event that their character's actions in the submitted episode demand explanation.

Meanwhile, the TV Acad is bringing the entire Academy body back into the final nomination process. Now all voters will pick their 10 favorites in the key series and acting categories.

Then, a blue-ribbon panel will meet and watch all 10 finalists in a certain category, picking their faves. The final list of five nominees in each category will be a 50/50 mix of the Academy body's top picks and the blue-ribbon choices.

That's a change from last year when, for the first time, the blue-ribbon panel alone chose the final nominees in key acting and series categories, from the pool of contenders picked by the entire Academy body."It's meant to tweak the system and give an equivalent influence in the decisionmaking from both the wisdom of the masses and the wisdom of the Academy members taking a look at the episodes submitted," said an TV Academy spokesperson.

Last year's panel just watched a handful of series and acting finalists, assigning a number grade to each on its own merits.

Now, because they're watching all 10 finalists in a certain category, blue-ribbon panelists will rank their faves, pitting shows or thesps against one another.

To accommodate that increase in programming viewed by the panel, the screenings may be split over two weekends -- or be held on weekdays.

Other changes:

• The so-called Burstyn rule was introduced after the actress won the Emmy last year for supporting actress in a miniseries or movie -- even though she appeared onscreen for a total of 14 seconds.

The Academy only applied the 5% rule to the longform supporting categories because they're not screened by the blue-ribbon panel, and therefore performances that shouldn't have been allowed can fall through the cracks and end up on the ballot.

• Comedy and drama supporting actor and actress contenders will now be screened during the blue-ribbon panels, alongside actors, actresses and guest actors and actresses -- bringing the total of acting categories chosen in part by the panels to 12. (All other acting award nominations -- i.e., for longforms -- are solely by popular vote).

Also, variety/musical/comedy performer nominees, chosen last year by the blue-ribbon panel, will now be picked by popular vote.

• Public performances aired on TV -- think Prince's Super Bowl halftime show, "Live from the Met" or Broadway shows taped for air -- will no longer compete in the variety/musical/comedy special category (where they frequently went up against specials produced specifically for television). Those programs will now be placed in a "special class" category, an area award in which nominees don't compete with each other and one, more than one or no Emmys could be awarded.