Got into my very first post-Emmy Governor's Ball tonight.
Ordered a diet coke and began to circle the room, looking for stars like Lucy Ricardo in an episode of "I Love Lucy." I quickly realize that there are many more non-stars here than stars. So this is gonna take some work. It's not easy to circle the room when teams of food servers keep marching out of the kitchen with scarily focused precision.
OK! My first sightings. Sitting at a table in the middle of the room are Marcia Cross and her hubby and across from them are Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer. Alright, I'm cookin now. There goes Conchata Ferrell, making her way to the ladies room. I sure wish she had won for "Two and a Half Men." I was rooting for her.
Meanwhile, Brad Garrett is sitting with a table of folks I don't recognize and is eating his dinner. I don't know what they served since I was just a mingler, not an official guest. I know it was meat and a potato and it all looked really fancy - Food Network fancy.
OK, jackpot. This is the "Ugly Betty" table, or tables, and I see Eric Mabius kissing someone's Emmy. America Ferrera is nowhere to be seen so I assume Mabius is smooching the Emmy won by Richard Shepard for directing the "Betty" pilot. Also spot Michael Urie and the kid who plays Justin whose real name escapes me at this late hour. And Ana Ortiz is there too, looking lovely.
Tony Bennett has just been introduced and he's gonna sing! i make my way to the center of the room. This, I gotta see...and hear. He does three numbers including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and is in incredible form. Is he 81 now? Amazing."
Back to star sightings: I see Thomas Haden Church arrive, Emmy in hand and he is standing with the gang from "Broken Trail" including fellow winner Robert Duvall. Then this was cool: I'm plotting my next move when I tiurn around and essentially am face-to-face with Al Gore, the former vice president of the U.S. and an Emmy winner tonight. I say, "Congratulations Mr. Gore." He smiles, says "Thank you" and we shake hands. I'm kinda giddy for a few seconds then spot LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who is just being surrounded by all these people - mostly women. He seemed to be trying to make his way out of the room was constantly being stopped, asked to pose for pictures etc.
I decide to make one last circle around the party before heading out. i spot Glenn Close standing at a table talking to people, including Edward Asner. At another table, I see Ben Vereen talking to his "Roots" co-star Leslie Uggams.
I didn't see Sally Field at the ball but on my way in, I did see her walking out of a press tent with her son and before I knew it, I said to her: "Great speech!" She paused for a moment, looked over her shoulder and said: "Thank you!" Then she walked into the night...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sally Field was told by a reporter that her anti-war comment at the end of her acceptance speech would get a lot of attention.
"Oh well," was her reply. "I've been there before....I don't care."
Then a reporter wanted to know what she thought of FOX bleeping out the "goddamed wars" part of her remarks.
Field: "Oh well. If they bleep it, I'll say it somewhere else."
The actress added: "I said what I wanted to say. I wanted to pay homage to the mothers of the world and let their work be seen and valued. i seriously think if mothers ruled the world, we wouldnt be sending out children off to be slaughtered."

Field said that in her speech, "I had no agenda. I wanted to pay homage to mothers, period. Especially the mothers who wait for their children to come back from war."

Of being on "Brothers & Sisters" as Nora Walker, she said: "I'm very fortunate and grateful to have Nora Walker in my life, all the Walkers. I wanted to say something about the mothers who wait for the military children to come home. That's the heart iof Nora Walker's character this year. I don't see this kind of character examined: what is it like to be a woman in her 60s? It certainly is a blessing and a great opptortunity for me to explore myself as an actor at this time in my life."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was a no-brainer and so, so deserved: America Ferrera just won the Emmy for best actress in a comedy series to go along with her Golden Globe and SAG awards.
"It is truly an amazing wonderful thing that happens when your dreams come true. I just wish for everybody that they get to do what inspires them.
She paid tribute to the cast and crew and creators and writers and directors etc: "This is such an amazing wonderful acheivement and the award is getting to wake up and go to work tomorrow and see all your faces."
Hooray!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BREAKING NEWS: Al Gore just told us that he isn't running for president and congratulated the Academy for going green this year.

OK, back to the show: Sally Field has just won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Brothers & Sisters." She plays Nora Walker on the ABC show, the mother of five adult children, including a son sent to serve in Iraq. Field was giving a terrific speech about motherswhen that damned orchestra ruined her flow. But she collected herself to finish strong: "Let's face it, if mothers ruled the world, there wouldn't be any goddamed wars in the first place!"

This is Field's third Emmy.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Robert Duvall is sitting about five feet from me right now - waiting to face the press - and has placed his two Emmys on the ground. I feel like crawling over there, picking one up and sprinting to the men's room and making a pretend speech. C'mon, you know you all have wanted to do that.

Helen Mirren has just left the press room with her second Emmy in two years - this time for "Prime Suspect." She also won the Oscar this year and she'll take it all: "Other years, I've sat out there and not won so I'm very familiar with that feeling as well."
Miiren was asked if she has m et Queen Elizabeth yet, who she played in "The Queen" and won the Oscar for. the answer is no. The Queen had invited Mirren to the White House State Dinner this year but the actress was busy filming the sequel to "National Treasure."
"It's embarrassing. I felt mortified and very, very bad about it but there was nothing I could do."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love Elaine Stritch, showbiz legend. She won the Emmy last weekend for her guest role on "30 Rock" and presented with Stanley Tucci. But as she struggled with the teleprompter she confessed: "I'm not faking this. I really don't know what the hell I'm doing!"

Brought the house down.

As for Brad Garrett, his humore was more controversial.
He complimented co-presenter and "Til Death" co-star Joley Fisher on her revealing dress then said, as he towered over his much-shorter partner: "You should see it from up here! Note to self: 'Buy milk.' I think you just made Charlie Sheen's 'to do' list."

The camera panned to Sheen. He was not laughing

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

He couldn't win the presidency (at least the electoral votes) but Al Gore is on a winning streak this year. The documentary he starred in, "an Inconvenient Truth," won the Oscar this year and now his TV venture, Current: An Interaction Television Network, just won an Emmy!
"We're trying to open up the television medium," Gore said.
As he left the stage, he shouted: "More to come! Current.com next month!"

The man has learned how to get his message across...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They came back here and I had to know, what did they think of this year's crop of nominees in the miniseries category?
Ben Vereen turned the question around and said to me: "What do YOU think?"
I didn't say. Thankfully, they had taken the mic away from me by then.
They paid tribute to Alex Haley who wrote "Roots" based on his own family history.
This is what I found sad: while Mischa Barton works in film after film, the great Cicely Tyson told us: "I'm looking for a job! I feel like Bette Davis who put an ad in the newspaper...do you remember that? I'm presently unemployed - for most of my career I've been unemployed."
She laughed when she said that. But this great actress, an Emmy winner and former Oscar nominee, still looks great and has that incredible voice.
Somebody hire this woman!

Funny moment: Tyson emphatically proclaimed that "Roots" was the first mini-series - ever. Burton tried to correct her by mentioning 1975's "Rich Man, Poor Man," but she would not budge. She was Miss Jane Pittman after all. But, I think she was wrong on this count.
Uggams seemed to sum it all best: "Alex Haley's writing, i have yet to see anything that tops it."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nice.
The audience is being treated to a medley of Four Seasons songs by the cast of the Tony-winning Broadway show "Jersey Boys" as they show clips from the show. Just an inspiring idea.
Now, the ENTIRE cast of the show has walked out and are getting the night's first standing ovation. They weren't presenting or anything...just stood there and basked in the ovation.
I think I'm gonna cry.

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This wasn't too hard to predict...
OK, Jon Stewart was juat getting warmed up and the damned orchestra started playing. OK, I know ya gotta stay on schedule but... Let. The. Man. Speak!

"Tony Bennett: An American Classic" just won for outstanding variety or comedy special.
I love what Bennett's son, who produced, said: "Dad, because of you, I'm going to be reaching for the moon for the rest of my life."
Then the orchestra starts to play as Tony himself takes the mic but for him, they stop. So what did he say? He just wanted to introduce his wife in the audience!
Well, when you're an 80-year-old national treasure, you can do things like that.

I've made fun of "The Starter Wife" tonight but really, it's biggest saving grace was the performance of Judy Davis who elevates anything she is in. She won best supporting actress in a miniseries or movie. Presenter Marcia Cross said to the audience: "She's not walking down te aisle."
Davis did not show up. Probably home in Australia.
I suggest you rent "The Ref" if you want to see one of the best performances by Judy Davis and I also loved her in "A Cooler Climate" opposite Sally Field.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm not sure who was addressing the audience inside the Shrine but over the lioudspeaker, we just heard a booming voice say, "Helen, please sit down! ...She's not the queen tonight!"

That was kinda rude, I think.

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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."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's fun to try and make an educated guess so we'll see how I fare! Will start to live-blog from backstage in a few hours...

Drama Series:
My pick: "Grey's Anatomy"
Will win: "Sopranos"
It's the last season of the mob drama. Still, "Heroes" could cause an upset.

Lead Actor, Drama Series:
My pick: Denis Leary ("Rescue Me"
Will win: James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos")
Gandolfini has won three times already and I see a fourth Emmy as a send-off. But Hugh Laurie could just as easily win for "House" while former winners James Spader and Kiefer Sutherland will miss out this time. Personally, I think Leary is absolutely superb in "Rescue."

Lead Actress, Drama Series:
My pick: Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters")
Will win: Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")
If either of these women won, I'll be very happy. Sedgwick carries her show while Field is the glue that holds her together. Very different performances but both stellar. Edie Falco could be part of an Emmy sweep for "Sopranos" but she already has three Emmys for her role and the competition is very strong.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series:
My pick: T.R. Knight ("Grey's Anatomy")
Will win: Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos")
It'll be part of a "Sopranos" semi-sweep. If William Shatner wins again, i might have to vomit backstage but if Knight wins, I'll do a little jig.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series:
My pick: Rachel Griffiths ("Brothers & Sisters")
Will win: Rachel Griffiths ("Brothers & Sisters")
She is the class of the field and had some wonderfully emotional scenes. Three "Grey's Anatomy" stars should cancel each other out with Chandra Wilson having the best chance of breaking out. I don't see Aida Turturro as part of the "Sopranos" semi-sweep.

Comedy Series:
My pick: "Ugly Betty"
Will win: "Ugly Betty"
It's a high-quality category with "Entourage," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Two and a Half Men" as competition. But "Betty" stood above the rest in its debut season.

Lead Actor, Comedy Series:
My Pick: Charlie Sheen
Will win: Alec Baldwin
I think Sheen is overlooked because his role is so low-key. But, he is terrific on "Two and a Half Men" and deserving of an Emmy win. Baldwin won the Golden Globe and the SAG Award so the only question is if voters will be turned off by the well-publicized troubles in his private life. If that's the case, Steve Carell will win.

Lead Actress, Comedy Series:
My pick: America Ferrera
Will win: America Ferrera
Easiest category to call.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series:
My picki: Neil Patrick Harris
Will win: Neil Patrick Harris
I just feel like it's his year in every way and he is clearly the best thing about "How I Met Your Mother."

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series:
My pick: Conchata Ferrell
Will win: Jaime Pressly
Personally, I can't watch "My Name is Earl" mainly because of Jason Lee's mustache (silly, I know). But Pressly seems to be the one to beat even though Vanessa Williams is the most deserving for "Ugly Betty." But my sentimental pick is Conchata Ferrell who is an absolute riot on "Two and a Half Men" and elevates any TV show or movie that she's in.

Miniseries or movie:
My pick: "Broken Trail"
Will win: "Broken Trail"
This seems like a sure-thing.

Lead Actress, Miniseries or Movie:
My pick: Helen Mirren
Will win: Helen Mirren
Mirren is still the queen of voters hearts and should take home the Emmy in this category for the second year in a row. The fact that Debra Messing is even nominated for the fluff "The Starter Wife" shows that Mirren's only real competition will be two-time Emmy winner Gena Rowlands.

Lead Actor, Miniseries or Movie:
My pick: Robert Duvall
Will win" Robert Duvall
Tough competition but my gut tells me the Oscar winner will prevail for "Broken Trail" over fellow nominees Jim Broadbent, William H. Macy, Matthew Perry and Tom Selleck.

Reality-Competition Category:
My pick: Amazing Race
Will win: Amazing Race
This show is the most ambitious of all the nominees including ratings giants "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars." It's so superbly edited and brilliantly paced that each week, you really feel you have gone on an adventure. It should win yet another Emmy in this category.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series:
My pick: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
Will win: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
Sorry Letterman, Conan and even Bill Maher, Stewart had another kick-ass year.

Performance - Variety of Music Program:
My pick: Jon Stewart
Will win: Jon Stewart
See above.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When you’re nominated for an Emmy these days, life is just one big party.
Among the soirees going on around town Friday night [there are more tonight] was the Television Academy’s tribute to acting nominees at Wolfgang Puck at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
It drew nominees Leslie Caron, Lorraine Bracco, Mariska Hargitay, Masi Oka, Neil Patrick Harris, Denis Leary, Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson, Judith Light, Conchata Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Kate Burton and Tim Daly, among others.
Oka drove up to the valet in old Honda, sputtering with 140,000 miles on it. The “Heroes” star, nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a drama, wonders if it’s finally time for some new wheels now that the NBC hit is heading into season 2.

All of the success is still a bit surreal for the young actor to have landed a key role on such a big show.
“To be a working actor is already a dream and to be on a great show is like winning the lottery. But to be on a phenomenon and to be here \[as an Emmy nominee\], it’s like ‘How lucky are we?’ It’s absolutely surreal.”
I had profiled Hargitay last year for a cover story I wrote for Orange Coast Magazine and of the 50 or so covers I have done for them over the years, no one was more gracious than Mariska.
Since we did a telephone interview (she was in NYC), this was our first meeting in person.
“I loved that article!” Mariska said as she greeted me. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Although she is once again nominated for her role in “Law & Order: SVU,” I wondered if having won last year takes some of the pressure off.
“It is much easier,” she admits. “This is a stress-free year. I came in, had fun playing with \[son\] August. It’s just a cakewalk now \[laughs\].”
She’s also learned that when it comes to picking what to wear, make confort your first priority: “Only wear things that you are really comfortable in. It changes your whole confidence. Don’t wear really uncomfortable shoes. That will never work for you.”
Bracco, nominated once again for “The Sopranos” hads the opposite tip: “Wear shoes that hurt!”
The actress received her fourth nod for her role as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the series, but her first since 2001.
“It’s a very nice way to end it really,” she says. “I’m very honored and touched. Like I said, it’s always nice to be asked to the prom instead of having to ask somebody to go dutch.”
What will she do post-“Sopranos”?
“I’ve been so far very lucky. I went on a whole bunch of appointments today with people who wanted to meet me for things so I no idea! What’s hard now is to get a good script, a good role. That’s what it’s all about. I don’t care if it’s film or TV, or cable. Look, I’m 53 and I’m glad the phone’s still ringing.”

What a great week it is when you get to chat up Judith Light TWICE. Since we had already done an extensive interview Sunday night, I wanted to know where she keeps the two Emmys she won for “One Life to Live.”
Light said: “On the mantle in the library.”
She’s similar to “Two and a Half Men” nominee Conchata Ferrell who let me just say right now, I am a huge fan of because she is one of the funniest women in showbiz. She told me that if she wins, she’s “gonna put it on a chain and wear it around my neck.”
“I’m gonna take a picture of me holding it and I’m gonna send it to all those people who wouldn’t marry me all those years ago. \[laughs\] Look at me now!”
But getting her third career Emmy nomination was not without a little anxiety when it came to pick out something to wear to the ceremony.
Remmbers Ferrell: “They called and said, ‘You’re nominated’ and I said, ‘Whoopie! What the HELL am I gonna wear? The costume designer on the show found something that’s silver and sparkly and let me tell you something, when a woman my size, when I walk by, you’re gonna see me sparkle!”
Ferrell is competing against her “Men” co-star Holland Taylor who already has one Emmy win for “The Practice.” If one of the other wins, the two women have vowed to mud wrestle for the statuette when they return to the set on Monday.
“That is our plan,” Taylor said. “We are mud-wrestling to the death.”
Taylor’s nominated episode had her character getting an overdose of collagen resulting in giant lips “beyond Goldie Hawn in ‘First Wives Club.’ I went insane with the pumped-up lips. It’s was like I had fish attatched to my face.”
Kate Burton, whose first screen role was an uncredited bit in the 1969 movie “Anne of the Thousand Days” which starred her father, Richard Burton, was nominated for guest actress for the second year for her role as Ellis Grey on “Grey’s Anatomy.”
The three-time Tony nominee may have lost out this year, but she’s got an Emmy back at home which she won in 1996 for the daytime special “Notes for My Daughter.”
“I lost out to Leslie Caron and she’s a legend so how bad can it be?”
Even though her character as Meredith’s mother died last season, Burton will return to the show via-flashback. Her character, a brilliant surgeon, had early onset of Alzheimer’s but recovered her memory for a few episodes.
“I wouldn’t be standing here now if it weren’t for that episode. That was why I was nominated. I know it’s like the oldest cliche in the world but it really is such an extraordinary honor to be nominated, particularly for an Emmy because there are so many choices - hundreds and hundreds. You really just feel like you’re part of an extraordinary community and it’s an amazing group of people.”

Big-screen icon Leslie Caron (pictured above with Sandr Oh) made a rare television appearance last season in an episode of “Law & Order SVU” and it won her an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
“It was a good part, a very good part - a meaty part,” she explained. “I’ve had good comedy parts and great partners, great directors. But a really meaty dramatic part, that’s quite rare.”
She didn’t know that she would win but Caron decided to make the trip from Paris anyway to attend last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys where the guest acting Emmys are presented.
“I’ve learned to say yes to all good things,” she says. “I think it’s good to be adventurous and just to say yes to life in general.”
What does the star of such classics as “Gigi,” “An American in Paris,” and “the L-Shaped Room” account for her longevity that has stretched from her first Oscar nomination in 1954 (“Lili”) to last weekend’s Emmy win.
“I’ve done an done awful lot of things and I love doing whatever work is proposed. But again, it really is about saying yes to things.”
I had to know, who was her favorite leading men?
Caron: “Oh, that’s a difficult one. There were at least five.”
Me: “OK, I’ll take five.”
Caron: “Fred Astaire (“Daddy Long Legs”) and Gene Kelly (“American in Paris”) and Cary Grant (“Father Goose”) oh, and let’s not forget Warren \[Beatty\]“ her co-star in “Promise Her Anything.”
Chatting up Leslie Caron. What. A. Thrill.

While the legendary Caron patiently did interviews with each reporter, Denis Leary could not be bothered with print press once he finished with some television interviews. He ignored requests for a word with about a dozen reporters, not bothering to even turn his head to acknowledge us. I’m a big fan of “Rescue Me” and of “The Ref” but this kind of behavior left me cold. Oh and Wilson of “Grey’s Anatomy” also declined to speak but both waved and apologized saying they were late getting into to the party.
Neil Patrick Harris avoided appearing rude by self-parking and avoiding the red carpet altogether. He was spotted checking in behind the glassed doors by a few eagle-eyed cameramen but by the time word of his presence got around, he was riding up the escalator to the party.
He must’ve been hungry.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, if you haven't yet seen Britney in her best black underwear (and I guess we should give her points for covering her bum) as she opened last night's Video Music Awards, it's up for viewing on MTV's site. She sang "Gimme More," which begs the question, "More what?" More money? I think she's set. More attention? Oh please. Been there, overdone that.
Britney was dressed for a bump and grind act, but she delivered her performance with all the gusto of a poorly faked orgasm. She had more energy on her millionth performance of "Oops! I Did It Again."
Can we in the media come to some sort of agreement on this? Britney apparently doesn't want to be a music star anymore, or she would have performed as if her career were on the line, because it is. And even her most ardent fans (and who are they these days?) must have felt let down. So let's just let Britney ride off into the sunset toward whatever trailer park she chooses to settle in.
As VMA host Sarah Silverman so glibly pointed out, "She's 25 and she's already accomplished everything she's going to accomplish in her life."

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)