Cast of “Roots” reunites to present Emmy…

Wow.
Out just walked John Amos. Louis Gosset Jr., Ed Asner, Cicely Tyson, Ben Vereen, Ivar Burton and Leslie Uggams. Wow! They starred in “Roots” 30 years ago and all look and sound great after all these years. It was classic TV that aired for eight nights in a row on ABC and had more than 60 percent of the TV audience.
Said Amos: “Let us all work to honor the legacy of ‘Roots’ not just tonight but in all that we do.”
“Roots” won many well-deserved Emmys including outstanding miniseires.
This year? Among the nominees in the miniseries category this year is the fluff: “The Starter Wife.”
Egads.
Well, at least “Broken Trail” won the award.

Robert Duvall now has an Emmy to go along with his Oscar…

A week ago tonight, Robert Duvall and I chatted outside a pre-Emy party honoring nominated producers. He told me that, yes, he did want to win. He hadn’t won anything in a long time. Well, he just WON best actor in a miniseries of movie for the Western “Broken Trail.”
He told the audience that “I knew it was going to be a hit” and that “the western is here to stay.”
He’s made some dandies from “Lonesome Dove” to “Open Range.”
This is cool.
Duvall, about to be p;layed off-stage by the orchestra, added: “I’m very proud to be an actor in this business.”

Christina is the anti-Britney in duet with Tony Bennett…

There have been all kinds of rumors for days that Britney Spears was going to appear on the Emmy telecast to apologize for her horrendous performance at the VMAs a week ago. I doubt it will happen because, well, it’s a stupid idea!
Meanwhile, we see the way things could have gone for Spears in the performance tonight of her former “Mickey Mouse Club” cast member Christina Aguilera who was lovely and in wonderful voice in a duet of “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” with the amazing Tony Bennett.
It’s called being a professional.

Emmy moments and winners..

A well-deserved tribute to the late Tom Snyder was very, very well-done. Perfect….

…Ryan Seacrest is paying tribute to TV actresses and starts with Sally Field “from ‘Gidget’ to ‘The Flying Nun’ and now to ‘Brothers & Sisters.'” Ryan didn’t mention to two Oscars, the two previous Emmy wns for “Sybil” and “ER,” and the classic performance in “Steel Magnolias.”
I think Sally should be able to leave “Gidget” behind…it’s been more than 40 YEARS!

Supporting actress in a drama series presented by the “Entourage” men and the lovely Eva Longoria…The winner is “Grey’s Anatomy” star KATHERINE HEIGEL: “My own mother told me I didn’t have a shot in hell tonight…but he’s a really big supporter. She does love me.”
She pays tribue to fellow nominees and co-stars Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson. Wilson is blowing kisses to her and seems to mean it…Oh is smiling through gritted teeth (kidding).
“This is my dream come true.”
Mom cries when Katherine says: “This is for you…this is BECAUSE of you.”
Good daughter…

Early Emmy winners…

Jeremy Piven wins his second Emmy in a row for “Entourage.” He’s a funny dude: “I’m having the time of my life…I want to thank our entire crew..I don’t know any of their names.”
The supporting actor in a comedy series winner got choked up at the end when he kissed the trophy and thanked his late father: “I love him and I miss him and I do it for him.”

Terry O’Quinn just won the supporting actor/drama Emmy for “Lost.” I haven’t watched it much since season one but I know that he is solid year after year. But I wanted T.R. Knight to win…Maybe next year. BTW, I don’t think it was too cool for a joke about Isaiah Washington to be made during the opening number and have FOX pan right to T.R. This is his first Emmy nomination, a big night for him. It was exploitive.

As I predicted, Jamie Pressly just won for supporting actress in a comedy for “My Name is Earl.” The speech is pretty so-so (she’s nervous) but the hair looks fab. Se thanks her hubby and chokes up when she mentions their baby son.
Excuse me, I gotta go find a kleenex…

Wow! Thomas Haden Church has just won for “Broken Trail” !!! He lost the Oscar for “Sideways” a few weeks back but now he’s got a big trophy and he was Sandman in “Spiderman 3.” Life is good for Church. But apparently he’s having trouble with his tux: “Jumped out of limousine to pee, Pants immediatley not fitting.”
Not sure what happened there but it sounds scary…

The Emmy telecast begins…

Am I watching “American Idol” right now?
Nope, it’s the Emmys and Ryan Seacrest is up there naming all the past hosts like Carson, Conan, Ellen etc. “Sure, they were hilarious, if that’s what you’re into. But would any of them shown up four hours early to host the Emmy pre-show.”

Now he’s mingling with the crowd, and says to Teri Hatcher, who he allegedly dated for about five minutes: “Hello Teri…” She looks mortified. I would too if I had dated Ryan Seacrest!
(Ouch! Was that my out loud voice?)

OK, the first award is being presented and Ray Romano is at the podium. He’s got a gold/yellow tie on. He tooks good. He mentions that “Frasier is screwing my wife.” He means Kelsey Grammer who is starring in the FOX sitcom “Back to You” opposite his former TV wife Patricia Heaton. “Patty how could you? We have TV children?” “Brad Garrett has his own show and Doris Roberts thinks our show is still on the air.”
Ray doing almost an entire routine which I guess that makes up for Seacrest’s lack of joke telling skills…

It’s in a theater in the round and all the various casts are sitting together. Ryan is

More Emmy arrivals…Jon Stewart, Edie Falco, Marcia Cross, Helen Mirren and more…

I can’t spell her damned name but I’ll try: Jane Kracowski who used to be on “Ally McBeal” then won a Tony for “Nine” and is now on “30 Rock,” She looks like something from the 70s and it was intentional: “I was going for a Jerry Hall, 70s Studio 54 look.”
She succeeded.

Queen Helen Mirren, who I just love, is up for another Emmy for “Prime Suspect.” She won the Emmy last year for “Elizabeth” then won the Oscar and the SAG Award and the Golden Globe etc for “The Queen.” She says after the greatest year of her life, this Emmy nod is “a nice cherry on top of the cake.”
Mirren may be riding an unprecedented career high but she keeps her perspective: “You never get blase but you realize your career and work is made up of ups and downs, you go with the flow a little bit when you’re older.”

Hugh Laurie, nominated for “House,” was asked by Mark Steines who he brought to the Emmys. His answer surprised me: “I’m tragically alone…”

Marcia Cross looks dazzling and doing a red carpet interview is far different from a year ago when she says she was at home, very p;regnant with twins, cooking spaghetti. She and her hubby got married less than a year before the babies were born and have never really had a honeymoon: “When they start sleeping through the night, the honeymoon will start.”

Jon Stewart was asked if he had any advice for Emmy show host Ryan Seacrest: “Don’t drink so much.,..you still have to stand.”

Funny quote: “This is the first time I’ve ever been early to the Emmys…I was lower maintenance this year,’ Eva Longoria said, after missing the red carpet for two years in a row.

Edie Falco says she hasn’t prepared a speech and will miss her TV kids then she added: I’m so happy I haven’t fallen off my shoes.”

Emmy arrivals: Huffman, Macy, Ferrera and Leary and more…

Here they come!
Denis Leary, nominated for “Rescue Me” is on the red carpet with his Mariska Hargitay-look-alike wife. He isn’t planning on winning: “I’m the biggest ‘Sopranos’ fan of all time. I really believe there’s no point in preparing a speech.”

Julia Louis Dreyfuss, up for an Emmy for the ninth time, is still excited and says it’s not something you ever get used to or expect. She won last year. She’s got a pretty purple dress on and her hair is straight, parted down the middle, like Cher in the Sonny and Cher days. If she starts singing “Half Breed” I’m gonna spit out my coke.

America Ferrera looks beautiful. I’m rooting for her to win for “Ugly Betty.” She tells Lara Spencer: “I feel so fortunate and blessed to have a job that is my passion.” She’s kinda star-struck saying, “I think I saw Tony Soprano somewhere.”
Spencer then tries to hand her a package of crackers saying she’ll need a snack in there. America declines.

Rebecca Romijn is there with hubby Jerry O’Connell. She is asked about playing a transgender character on “Ugly Betty.”
“It’s so much fun,” she says of the role. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet other people who have made a transition..The writers have taken this character and made her a human being.”

Felicity Huffman and William Macy are both nominated and told Mark Steines that they forgot it was their 10 year wedding anniversary this summer – at least on the actual day.
Mark asks if they had trouble getting out of the house. I liked Macy’s answer: “It takes me nine minutes. how long does it take to look like a penguin?”

I’m sure Tony Shaloub is a nice guy and his wife, Brooke Adams, is absolutely lovely. But he has won three Emmys already for “Monk” and I’m tired of it! For a minute, I thought maybe he was too for a second: “I feel like the Emmy people might be ready to spread the love a little bit this year.”
Mark Stienes reminds him that he has said that before.
Then Shaloub admits: “I don’t really mean it, it’s just superstition.”

Greetings from backstage at the Emmys!

Well, actually, I’m in a big tent. But it’s pretty fancy and the winners are gonna co me back here and chat us up once they’re through with all those pesky TV folks like “ET” and “Access Hollywood.” I mean, how do we print/online peeps compete when those show have sofas, champagne, photo booths etc, By the time they get to us back here, they’re probably gonna be drunk!
Now THAT would make news.
Just wanted to say hello. I was not given a red carpet pass so I can’t wander around looking at the TV reporters and deliver catty remarks like I usually do (meow). Them’s the breaks. I’m just a tent dude I guess. But they’ve provided us with all kinds of snacks and drinks and we will be fed with real food soon.
I have also been pronised admittance to the Governor’s Ball so it should be a wild and crazy night.