Release: Joel McHale, Sofia Vergara to Announce 62nd Primetime Emmy Nominations

Joel McHale (Community) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) will join Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Chairman-CEO John Shaffner at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 8, to announce the 62nd Primetime Emmy® Awards Nominations. Spike Jones, Jr., will produce the Emmy nomination ceremony at the Television Academy’s Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood. “We couldn’t be happier to have Joel and Sofia to announce this year’s nominees,” said Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Chairman-CEO John Shaffner. “They are both very funny and talented actors, and we are grateful that they have agreed to the early morning wake up call.” “I’m so honored to be announcing the nominees for the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmys. It’s been such an exciting year for television, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Sofia Vergara. Added Joel McHale, "I have two children, and I've never woken up this early for anything." Joel McHale is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in comedy. He currently stars in the NBC comedy series, Community, in which he plays a lawyer forced to go back to community college after his undergraduate degree is declared invalid. While there, he forms a study group with other misfit students including Chevy Chase. He recently starred in the Steven Soderbergh-directed, Warner Independent dark comedic thriller, The Informant, opposite Matt Damon. He was also recently cast in two feature films shooting this summer, What’s Your Number and The Big Year. McHale is also known as the star of E!’s The Soup, a weekly entertainment show which satirizes pop culture and current events. McHale’s quick wit and sharp comedic timing have made The Soup a pop-culture phenomenon. McHale also tours the country to sold-out audiences with his stand-up act. Born in Rome, Italy, and raised in Seattle, Washington, McHale became a cast member on Comedy Central’s Almost Live, a show from a group of Seattle-based performers which featured a mixture of skit-comedy and stand-up. McHale played on the University of Washington’s championship football team and also completed the Actor’s Training Master Program at UW. After moving to L.A., McHale landed roles on Will & Grace, CSI: Miami and Pushing Daisies. He also jumped onto the big screen with roles in Spider-man 2 and Lords of Dogtown. Sofia Vergara was already one of the hottest Hispanic TV stars and one of the most beloved personalities of the Latino world when she decided to pursue her career in the U.S., becoming one of the few Hispanic stars to find crossover success with her role on Modern Family. Vergara has appeared in Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns and Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail for Lionsgate, and on ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money. Before that, she played the sexy Colombian actress who stirred things up on Entourage, starred in Amas de Casa Desesperadas, the Latin-tailored version of Desperate Housewives, and in the FOX comedy feature Chasing Papi. Vergara recently lent her voice to the DreamWorks Animated production of Happy Feet 2 and is currently filming the live-action/animated comedy The Smurfs for Columbia Pictures in New York. Vergara has graced the cover of over 100 international magazines and hosted dozens of top Hispanic events, each watched by more than 100 million viewers. Her Hispanic television credits include Fuera de Serie on Univisión and her own top-rated weekly show, A que no te atreves (I dare you). When she became the host of La Bomba, a syndicated music and interview TV show, she caused a ratings explosion. In 1999 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú awarded Vergara the Hispanic Woman of the Year Award, commending her leadership skills representing the qualities Latina women have to offer to the world. In 2001 she created “Peace and Hope for the Children of Colombia,” a charity foundation that has helped thousands of children in her country and has donated a pediatric cancer pavilion in her native Barranquilla. In 2002 Vergara was awarded the Women of Hope Award by the City of Hope Organization as one of the outstanding role models for future generations. In 2007 she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Hispanic Women in the Entertainment Industry by The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. John Shaffner is serving his second term as Chairman-CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Shaffner, along with partner Joe Stewart, are among the most recognized production designers in television. He has received three Primetime Emmy Awards for David Copperfield specials, one for The George Lopez Show and two Daytime Emmys for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. They have been nominated a total of 29 times for Primetime and Daytime Emmys. Shaffner-Stewart also designed sets for the series Two and Half Men, Friends, The Drew Carey Show and Dharma and Greg, among others. The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will air live coast to coast on August 29 (8-11 p.m. EST) on NBC and will originate from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. The awards will be produced by Don Mischer and hosted by Jimmy Fallon. Nominating ballots will be posted on the Television Academy's website (www.emmys.tv) on June 4; ballots are to be returned to Ernst & Young by June 21. # # # Contact: PMKBNC For General Press Inquires: Chris DiIorio Chris.Diiorio@pmkbnc.com For Nomination Credentials: Joanna Cichocki Joanna.Cichocki@pmkbnc.com