©WireImage.comHey there, awards aficionados. Because E! has you covered when it comes to even the pre-preshow, we were on the red carpet at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards this afternoon at the Shrine Auditorium. Held the week before the big game (aka the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards), the Creative Arts Emmys honor primarily the crew members who make the magic happen.
That doesn't mean that nobody came and nothing happened (get the winners here). Quite the contrary, so step into our parlor to see who stopped by...
Scene and Heard, Part I: House star and recently unengaged woman Jennifer Morrison arrived at the last possible minute, conveniently avoiding probing questions about her personal life...Neil Patrick Harris dressed Barney Stinson style (suited up)...Heroes costars Greg Grunberg and Kristen Bell walked together, chatting conspiratorially…Omar Epps rushed in an hour and a half before the show, his publicist exclaiming, "We have to get him in there!"...Rainn Wilson’s date sported a Kool-Aid-red beehive…Seth Green chaperoned a lovely girl a good eight inches taller than him.
Not a "Dick": Two years ago, Andy Samberg—the SNL star nominated in the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics category for "Dick in a Box," which of course was famously performed with Justin Timberlake—was dead broke and half starving. Now, he’s livin’ large on the red carpet, up for an Emmy. Did success sneak up on him, or was it culture shock? "Both! But I eat a lot better now." And the ulcer’s gone? "The ulcer’s worse! That’s the give and the take—the food’s better, but there’s a lot more stress." Lest he be misunderstood as ungrateful, Samberg leaned in to clarify, "But Samberg and company ain’t complain’!"
And should he win, would he split the trophy three ways with Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, with whom he cowrote "Dick"? "I don’t know." he said. "Would we each get our own?"
Scene and Heard, Part II: Mad Men star Paul Kinsey escorted Emmy-nominated Deadwood and Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant…Show runner Ronald D. Moore stopped by to support the Battlestar Galactica crew members nominated for Best Sound and Best Graphic effects…Tim Daly, nominated for his guest spot on The Sopranos, fielded a whole lotta press questions about Private Practice...Josh Duhamel showed up sans Fergie...Spike Lee made a point to stop and talk to uniformed crew of the U.S. Marine Corps news service...
Everybody Cut Footloose: Just a couple of tips from the behind-the-scenes talent that brings you ABC’s Dancing with the Stars: Emmy-nominated choreographer Louis van Amstel prescribed a little Flashdance action for nondancers who want to get moving. "Just put on some ‘80s music, close the curtains and dance your heart out, on the spot!" Meanwhile, Emmy-nominated DWTS makeup artist Melanie Mills said the secret to a streak-free face when you’re sweating is "lots of liquids…I don’t airbrush, I just really beat it into the face." (Beauty is pain, right?)
Using His Hands: Actor Christian Clemenson knows how to prepare for a high-pressure situation like, say, accepting an Emmy. He was nominated for his role as Jerry "Hands" Espenson on Boston Legal, a character he described as a lawyer having "a condition called Asperger’s, but he doesn’t let it control his life, he always tries to rise above it—with often disastrous, hilarious results." As for rising above the fray in a tough situation, Clemenson prepared by writing down—on his hand, in blue ballpoint ink—the name of Boston Legal show runner David E. Kelley: "You’ll notice I've written his name down in case I have to make a speech. That's the name I can’t forget!"
C'est Magnifique: Film legend Leslie Caron (An American in Paris, Daddy Long Legs) made an appearance at the event, nominated for her heartbreaking guest turn on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as a survivor of rape forced to recall the circumstances 30 years later. How did SVU reach out to the star? "I think an email," she said. "And I think my script was sent to Sardinia, where I was spending the summer."
Surely, there is no shortage of glamour in Caron’s life, so how many times has she done the Emmys? "I’ve never been." But she’s familiar with the Shrine Auditorium? "Oh yes," said Caron, with a casual wave of her hand. "I’ve been here many times—for the Oscars, you know…" And, ladies and gentlemen, that’s how cool you want to be when you are 76 years old.
For the winners and more deets on the Creative Arts, check out our news story. And don't forget to tune in to E! next Sat., Sept. 15, for a two-hour can't-miss special on the show behind the show.