EMMY

Emmy night is finally here! I'm at the Nokia Theatre and it's buzzing with activity! Some stars arrived early and will be skipping the red carpet because they have to rehearse. Tina Fey, Betty White and Mariska Hargitay were doing the rounds early. I'll be heading over to my post on the red carpet where NBC.com will be streaming LIVE from 4pm PT /7pm ET until 5pm PT/8pm ET. We're the only red carpet outlet streaming line online, so definitely check it out!

Back to the glamour and excitement. There are fan bleachers set up where lucky fans get to see all the stars from the best seats outside. And one lucky fan actually won her seat on NBC.com through Fan It! It's always funny to me that there is a main red carpet that all your favorite television stars stroll down and then there is a roped off adjacent red carpet for "non-talent".  Those, like me, who are not remotely famous but have tickets to the show have to stay on their side of the velvet ropes and are constantly reminded not to keep moving!

Once you go inside the theatre there is a cash bar and they even have snacks, just like if you went to a concert or sporting event. It's wild to be standing in a drink line behind Jon Hamm or Julianna Margulies! Once the event begins, the bar remains popular during the three-hour show, but you are only allowed back into your seat during commercial breaks so you have to time it right.

I hear that tonight Jimmy's has some surprises planned with lots of help from his famous friends. The fact that anyone can tweet about a presenter and possibly have Jimmy read it during the show is further proof that he is modernizing the broadcast for the digital age. All hail Jimmy! To add you tweet just go to NBC.com/imontheemmys and log in with your Twitter account.

Gotta run, hope you'll be watching us live. Post your comments below and into the live stream on the NBC Emmys main page.

Enjoy the night!
Emmys Insider

And the Creative Arts Emmy goes to...

NBC.com! Yes, I'd like to brag just for a moment because NBC.com won an Emmy at this past weekend's Creative Arts ceremony. The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon website was recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Experience! Yay team!

The Creative Arts ceremony honors those who work behind the scenes, with a few exceptions. Categories such as Outstanding Hairstyling or Outstanding Sound Mixing are awarded along with Outstanding Guest Star and various other categories. Betty White and Ann Margret won statues for their outstanding guest star duties on SNL and SVU respectively. For the men, John Lithgow was honored for his recent turn as a serial killer on Dexter while Neil Patrick Harris took home an Emmy for his guest shot on Glee.

It was an exciting and glamorous night, which made me that much more excited for the Primetime Emmys this Sunday! Remember, you can watch the live stream from the red carpet and backstage right here on NBC.com!

Talk soon -
Emmy Insider

Only three more weeks until the Primetime Emmys on NBC! In two weeks, the Creative Arts ceremony will celebrate (among other things) awards in interactive categories. Fingers crossed that one of NBC.com's three nominees takes home the gold lady!

Have you checked out some of the cool videos we've been shooting? We covered the Governors Ball preview, to give you an inside look at the menu and, more importantly, the cocktails, that will be served at both ceremonies this year. Our team also traveled to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles to showcase some of the Emmy nominated costume designers. The exhibit is free to the public and runs through September 4th. So if you live in Southern California, you should definitely check it out. You can watch all the exclusive video, right here on NBC.com.

No one even attempted to answer my trivia question regarding which male and female performers hold the records of individual nominations! Ed Asner holds the record for male performer with the most wins, with seven Emmys to his credit. And Cloris Leachman, most recently seen on The Tonight Show's "Cop & Kitty" sketch as an uncredited cat lady, has topped the female category with eight wins (followed closely by her former co-star Mary Tyler Moore who has had seven wins herself). In case you are curious, Frasier still holds the record for individual series wins with a record 37 Emmys!

Talk soon -
Emmy Insider

First I have to congratulate ALL the nominees. It's a very exciting day for everyone who worked on the nominated shows and nominated digital experiences (myself and NBC.com included!) The main show category nominees were announced early this morning and included both current favorites (The Office, 30 Rock, Lost, True Blood) and some exciting newcomers (Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, Breaking Bad and Glee).

For this morning, though, I'd like to especially congratulate Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler and the entire cast and crew of Friday Night Lights. Yes, it's an NBC show. But it's a well-written, well-performed, well-executed drama that until now has gotten very little recognition at the Emmys. With four nominations this year, the fourth in Outstanding Casting, the show has clearly gotten the attention of voters after years of having the attention and devotion of hardcore fans. I would've liked to have seen a Supporting Actor nod for Zach Gilford's emotional portrayal of former QB #1 Matt Saracen, especially after his work in this season's episode entitled "The Son."

Shameless NBC.com plug: You can watch full episodes of Friday Night Lights here.

I want to hear from you! Who were you excited to see get nominated? Who do you think was overlooked?

Some Emmy fun facts to ponder while you formulate your comments...

• - This year, Saturday Night Live set a new record of individual program nominations with a total of 126 over the years. Frasier still holds record for most Emmys won by a series, with 37 wins.

• - For 2010, Glee tops the comedy series nominations with 19, while Mad Men holds the honor for drama with 17 nominations.
  

Which male and female performers do you think hold the records for most individual nominations? Post your guesses below...no cheating!

- Emmy Insider

July may seem early to start thinking about that pinnacle of television achievement known as the Primetime Emmys, but nominations are out! (More on that in a separate post.) Also, this year's ceremony will be broadcast on August 29th, which is almost a month earlier than last year.

I'll be here throughout the next two months to get your take on who the front-runners are, who you think got overlooked, and other fun topics to keep our conversation going right up to showtime. Speaking of showtime, I'll be blogging live from the event and I'm going to need some questions for the nominees. Of course I'll be asking for your help and input, so start thinking about it now.

NBC is carrying the broadcast this year, so keep checking NBC.com for all kinds of fun, exclusive content. We'll be covering lots of aspects of the show leading up to August 29th. Anything you're dying to know or see? Tell us in the comments section below!

Talk soon -
Emmy Insider