Joan, Melissa Rivers Could Be Off Carpet

LOS ANGELES – Joan and Melissa Rivers’ move from E! Entertainment Television to TV Guide Channel may keep them off the red carpet at September’s Emmy Awards.

The comedian and her daughter had been expected to provide TV Guide Channel with the fashion commentary and celebrity interviews they were known for on the E! cable channel.

But E! has an agreement with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for exclusive live cable coverage of the Emmy arrivals scene this year and next, an academy spokeswoman said Thursday.

The statement cited the academy’s “long-term and multifaceted relationship” with E! and the channel’s support of the technical Emmy Awards and the academy foundation.

“We are currently looking for other options to accommodate TV Guide Channel’s interests,” the academy said.

TV Guide Channel said in a statement that it was continuing to explore all of its options regarding the Emmys.

“However, our agreement with Joan and Melissa, and our success together, is in no way contingent upon the execution of a live Emmy show this year,” the channel said, adding it is considering a variety of projects with the mother-daughter duo.

The Rivers reportedly received a hefty three-year contract, worth up to $8 million, to join the TV Guide Channel. A call to the channel seeking comment from the duo was not returned.

The Emmy Awards are to air Sept. 19 on ABC.