The event, which will be broadcast as a two hour special on Saturday, September 15th on "E!" at 8pm (ET/PT) recognizes outstanding programs and individual achievements for a variety of categories in television production.

"Animals," which originally aired in October of 2006, features Ellen DeGeneres and a cast of animals who help her behind the scenes as she readies for her daily talk-show. The concept for the ad was based on her "childhood dream to work with animals." The commercial was directed by Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man and created by Ogilvy New York.

"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized for our work by the entertainment industry," said John Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer, American Express. "We developed 'Animals' hand-in-hand with Ellen DeGeneres and our incredibly talented agency partners. This Award speaks volumes to the entertaining content and creativity that can be born from true collaboration."

The "commercial" category included six other finalists including ads for Coke, Cingular, Pepsi, GE, Travelers Insurance and Truth, a pro-bono anti-smoking advocacy group.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognizes excellence by selecting only one commercial as the winning spot -- judged the best commercial that aired. This marks the 11th year that the Academy has recognized excellence in the commercial category.

American Express Company is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850. For more information, visit http://www.americanexpress.com.

Contacts:
Joanna Lambert
212.640.9668
Joanna.G.Lambert@aexp.com