Local Telemundo affiliate KVEA-TV brought home a couple of Emmys for its news broadcasts last week. With Spanish-language news programs drawing recent attention for inventive approaches and creative formats, the awards were no surprise. The subject matter of the winning reports was unusual, however.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented KVEA Channel 52 with top honors in the light news and sports series categories at its 58th annual awards ceremony.
The light news winner was “Misterios de la Fe” (“Mysteries of the Faith”) series, which explored unexplained phenomena and occurrences in the Catholic Church, including segments on the bodies of saints that seem to be escaping corporeal decay, apparitions of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Shroud.
On the other end of the spectrum was the sports winner, “Pie de Atleta” (“Athlete’s Foot”). That series followed host decidedly un-athletic host Joel “El Gordo” Bengoa as he prepped and ran in the Los Angeles Marathon.
A pair of CBS affiliates, KCBS and KCAL, brought home the most awards with a combined eight honors.
Hallmark Restructures
Studio City-based Crown Media Holdings Inc.’s Hallmark Channel has shuffled its cards by combining its program scheduling and acquisitions departments into one group and promoting key staff.
The channel which was for sale for nine months pulled itself off the market this spring after several top executives exited. The changes were made under the leadership of Executive Vice President David Kenin and will affect both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
Michelle Vicary has been promoted to senior vice president, acquisitions and scheduling. Darren Melameth has been promoted to programming director and Mark Davidson has been named acquisitions manager. Both will report to Vicary.
Hollywood’s Wax Factor
Madame Tussaud’s, the famed London wax museum, which is home to likenesses of hundreds of Hollywood’s most famous stars, is preparing for its own Tinseltown debut.
Project spokeswoman Sandra Yamane didn’t want to provide details, preferring instead to wax eloquent in a formal rollout. She did say, however, that plans call for a 40,000-square-foot museum to be located on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Avenue, on the site of what is currently a parking lot directly west of the Mann Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
The U.K.-based Tussaud’s Group, which already has U.S. outlets in New York and Las Vegas, filed an application with the Los Angeles City Planning Department about a week ago. The company is now an official member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, as well.
“They’ve been working for at least two or three years to find a location in Hollywood, so they’ve kept this quiet for awhile,” said Leron Gubler, executive director of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “If they’re coming to Los Angeles, this is right where they should be in Hollywood.”
Tussaud’s arrival will, of course, make Hollywood the only city with two wax museums. The Hollywood Wax Museum has been at 6767 Hollywood Boulevard since 1966. Gubler thinks there’s room in town for two.
“I think they can co-exist,” he said. “Similar to car dealerships or other museums, they both draw similar crowds, and there are a lot of tourists in Hollywood.”
Staff reporter Anne Riley-Katz can be reached at
[email protected]
or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 225.
