On Emmys eve, the acting nominees gathered at the Pacific Design Center to meet and greet while everyone was still a winner.
With the TV Academy championing the diversity of nominees this year, it was refreshing to see a sub-set of the nominees organize their own separate group photo. “You didn’t make it in Keegan-Michael Key,” one person joked.
The scene as the Audis poured in to the Pacific Design Center, perhaps the closest event that TV Academy PR team PMK*BNC will work all year. Their offices are in the same building.
Meanwhile at the Sunset Tower, Showtime took the cool step of putting their star talent’s names on the step and repeat, a marketing idea imported from their frequent boxing promotions. Both William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are up for Emmys on Sunday, as is Liev Schreiber (with wife Naomi Watts.)
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy were ready to hear Jakob Dylan perform at Showtime, the rare Emmy party with headliner talent live music.
Helen McCrory and Damian Lewis step on to the carpet at the Sunset Tower, as WME uber-agent Richard Weitz hangs in the background.
Sopranos! Edie Falco and Aida Turturro played it cool in shades at BAFTA’s TV Tea at the SLS on Saturday afternoon.
Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) won the afternoon in this Dolce & Gabanna dress that had everyone giving verbal “likes”. Julian Fellowes told TheWrap that he has not finished cutting the “Downton Abbey” series finale. The last season premieres in the UK on Emmy Sunday.
A couple of baddies here: “House of Cards’” Michael Kelly (Doug Stamper) and “Better Call Saul’s” Jonathan Banks. Only one of them will take the stage as the winner for Supporting Actor, Drama.
New(ish) BAFTA LA CEO Chantal Rickards (the host of the afternoon) with “Dancing with the Stars” firecracker Bruno Toniolio and BAFTA LA Chairman Kieran Breen.
Welcome to the BAFTA TV Tea, one of the most perennially popular events on Emmys weekend.
Ed Westwick is British. He can come to the Tea. The former Chuck Bass hung with Elizabeth Carr.
Londoner Jimmy Akingbola (“Arrow”) pulled off the white after Labor Day. He hung with “Lego Movie” mastermind Phil Lord.
Former “Smash” co-stars Katharine McPhee and Raza Jaffrey did what everyone else did at the party — escaped the mid-90s temperatures for the crowded SLS ballroom. Jaffrey is from Merseyside.
Gone from “Orange is the New Black” but not forgotten: Lorraine Toussaint with reiging Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Uzo Aduba.
There is Lord Gillingham, huddling up with (from left) Louise Salter, “Orphan Black” superstar Tatiana Maslany, and former BAFTA LA Chair Nigel Daly.
The “Doctor Who” Tardis outside on the SLS Terrace added some English authenticity to go with the cheese and truffle butter sandwich bites, cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches, and hot tea on a hot day. The most popular bite was the summer slanted watermelon with tomato skewers.
To celebrate “Doctor Who” Season 9 premiering on BBC America, the Tardis and Dalek cookies were served.
British Consul General for Los Angeles Chris O’Connor (right) is always a welcome voice of authority in BAFTA circles.
Viola Davis‘ first win of Emmy weekend came Saturday morning at the Skirball. Along with Diane Warren and Gale Ann Hurd, Davis was one of the National Women’s History Museum’s “Women Making History”. They were prophetic: Davis made history on Emmy Sunday.
The Friday night before Emmys saw a slew of parties spread out across West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
The leads from “Orange is the New Black” are in from New York, holding down a prime couch at the EW bash on Friday night: Uzo Aduba, Jackie Cruz, and Laverne Cox.
Fellow Litchfielders Lea DeLaria and Taryn Manning get split up by Padma Lakshmi at Fig & Olive, where EW drew tons of talent.
Laura Prepon with Chris Daughtry and Ryan Murphy with Jessica “Jessie” Szohr at EW.
“American Horror Story’s” Jessie Brewer with “Veep’s” Tony Hale.
EW’s Henry Goldblatt gets the love from Jane Krakowski, while Karina Smirnoff and Kat Graham enjoy the night.
Derek Hough‘s hair already got the whip. Now he gets the NeNe …Leakes.
The Creative Coalition’s TV Industry Advocacy Awards were a huge success in its first outing early on Friday evening. The honorees and presenters included: Emmanuelle Chriqui, Constance Zimmer, Jerry O’Connell, Beth Behrs, and Christina Hendricks.
“I know what you’re all thinking….what the hell is Monica Lewinksy doing here?,” Lewinsky told the Sunset Tower crowd at the Creative Coalition event. She was there to present her pal of 16 years with an award for his advocacy.
Jeffrey Tambor, Alfre Woodard, and LaVerne Cox all spoke passionately and candidly about leveraging their celebrity to shine a light on social causes.
Ian Somerhalder, and Nikki Reed have an unwilling selfie co-conspirator at Heifer International’s Beyond Hunger Gala at the Montage on Friday night. Michael McDonald performed.
Too many puns here: Power publicist Alan Nierob makes the trains run on time for Richard Gere at an L.A. Confidential party on Friday night toasting Gere’s “Time Out of Mind.” It was at AKA Beverly Hills.
Matt LeBlanc took his producers swagging at the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge at the Sunset Marquis on Friday.
Meanwhile, Sarah Hyland, Kiernan Shipka, and Abigail Breslin lunched at Glamour’s Women to Watch event.
Jennifer Meyer and the awesome “Barely Famous” Foster sisters (Erin and Sarah) were amongst Cindi Leive’s guests, where Perrier-Jouët flowed in the daytime.
Audi’s tradition of Thursday night pre-Emmy parties at Cecconi’s continued on Thursday with a fun huddle: Lindsey Vonn, Joel McHale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Tony Hale.
Louis-Dreyfus can hug it out with Niecy Nash – they are not in the same category. Nash (“Getting On”) faces off against Louis-Dreyfus’ co-star Anna Chlumsky for Supporting Actress, Comedy.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an Audi regular (with Nash and “Soul Man” actress Kellee Stewart).
Meanwhile up at the Roxy, as “Black Mass” began Thursday night early screenings, lead Johnny Depp was rocking with his bandmates in the new incarnation of the “Hollywood Vampires”: Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry.
Guest stars included Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Marilyn Manson, Perry Farrell (left) and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello (front right). Maestro Dobel Tequila threw a fun after party upstairs in “On the Rox” after the show.
“We are always hoping for surprises and unexpected wins,” Emmys producer Don Mischer said while rolling out the red carpet on Wednesday morning. Host Andy Samberg and TV Academy CEO Bruce Rosenblum helped kick.
Mr. (and Mrs.) Robot: Rami Malek and Portia Doubleday hung close at People Magazine’s “One’s to Watch” party at Ysabel on Wednesday night, the star-packed party that was the top ticket of the night.
Two days after singing the national anthem live before the season opening “Monday Night Football” game, Scooter Braun managed Tori Kelly was in L.A., hugging it out with Kelsea Ballerini.
Kelly also hung with the bosses: People Deputy Editor JD Heyman, Ballerini, and People and EW Group Publisher Karen Kovacs.
This young lady is a big deal in the world of up-and-comers: Maddie Ziegler from “Dance Moms”. She perused the bursting bar of goodies from Maybelline.
Adam DeVine is one of People’s choices as a “rising and brightest star”. He keeps it close with workplaced titled projects, going from “Workaholics” to the upcoming feature “The Intern”. His “co-worker” on Wednesday was Chloe Bridges.
Breakout Youtuber and Kylie Jenner pal Gigi Loren Loazzarato (better known as “Gigi Gorgeous”) has her industry’s big night at the Streamy awards on Thursday. She was at People too.
Edgar Ramirez (“Point Break”) and Miguel Angel Silvestre (“Sense8”) at Ysabel.
“Pretty Little Liars’” Keegan Allen showed off the loot. Timex gave everyone a “make-your-own-watch” with customizable bands and faces.
Former “Orange is the New Black” guard Pablo Schreiber and Billy Brown.
The Emmy statuettes arrived in L.A. on Monday via United Flight 655 from Chicago, where the gold is forged.
During Emmys week, the table talk was all “Oscar contenders” at an Octavia Spencer hosted lunch for Lizzie Velasquez and her doc “A Brave Heart,” at Lucques on Thursday. Cinedigm will release the film on the 26 year old, 58 pound bullying victim turned crusader next Friday, September 25. Lizzie’s doc team includes AP Ngoc Nguyen, Spencer, star/EP Lizzie Velasquez, and director/producer Sara Hirsch Bordo.
“When Ivy walked into a room, my mom stopped talking. My mom never stopped talking,” Melissa Rivers said in a tribute to Ivy Kagan Bierman, named Beverly Hills Bar Association Entertainment Lawyer of the Year at a dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire on Wednesday night. She got kisses from her sons, hosting by Kate Flannery, a performance by Patti Austin, and a presentation of the award from Loeb & Loeb colleague Mickey Mayerson.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Jeremy Sisto (“Break Point”) judged a mixology competition at the Skybar, a benefit for Convenant House California.
Anthony Bourdain with a cocktail at the Creative Arts Emmys Ball that kicked off Emmys week.
Beau Bridges has the next best thing to a trophy in his hand — wine. Darren Criss and Derek Hough talk to the guy who lost to Reg. E. Cathey (“House of Cards”) at the Creative Arts Ball on Sept. 12.
Reg E. Cathey has zero Derek Hough‘s or Darren Criss‘s in his entourage for the Creative Arts Emmys. His plus-one is a statuette.
The musical performance at what Kathy Griffin dubbed “The Schmemmy Emmys.” This year’s Creative Arts program went for #ArtsEmmys as its official hashtag to head off that trend. David Foster and Andrea Bocelli play on actual Emmy night.
A real, live 2015 Creative Arts Emmy winner! Bradley Whitford for “Transparent.”
Jane Lynch won the last Creative Arts Emmy of the night, for “Hollywood Game Night.”
Dance men: Travis Wall and Derek Hough.
Erinn Hayes (Hulu’s “Hotwives of Las Vegas” and a long resume of comedies) is looking for a hat rack hook that’s not there.
Nancy Dubuc got the Governors Award (posing with Academy CEO Bruce Rosenblum). Next stop for Dubuc: TheGrill, TheWrap’s media leadership conference which you can find more about right here.
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich. Hough won with her brother Derek for a “Dancing with the Stars” number called “Elastic Heart”.
Mad man Matt Weiner … it’s your final hurrah (for now).
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Alice Young, and son Travis Tyson get ready to chow down on victuals from Patina at the Creative Arts Ball.
The Property Bros. hustle. Less than 20 hours before this photo was taken at the Creative Arts Ball, they were hosting a gala at the Toronto Film Festival.
Thank TV Academy President/COO Maury McIntyre for online Emmys voting. Thank CFO Heather Cochran for the free party.
The night before the Creative Arts Emmys were handed out, “The Voice” Producer Michelle McNulty (right) was high-fiving every nominee she could find during the Reality Peer Group reception at Mr. C. (Her reality-competition award is one of the only such awards to make the big show … stay tuned.) “Voice” Co-EP Amanda Zucker is on the left.
Discovery Channel’s Josh Berkley (EP, “Deadliest Catch”) would go on to beat his pal Stephen Rankin (EP of the criminally under-appreciated “Naked and Afraid”) at the Creative Arts Emmys the day after this photo at the Reality/Doc Peer Group reception.
Nominees Anthony Anderson, Mayim Bialik, Rachel Brosnahan, Seth Green, and Niecy Nash at one of several TV Academy Peer Group receptions at the Montage during Emmy voting season. The Performers Peer Group started off the season.
Rachel Brosnahan (left, “House of Cards”) returned on Sept. 10 for the Casting Nominees Peer Group, posing with nominee Laray Mayfield (also for “House of Cards”).
“Transparent” casting director Edye Belasco with the producer she cast as an actor in the highly awarded series, Jay Duplass.
Get ready to see these around town. These official vehicles (Audi A8L) are shuttling nominees and presenters.
Casting Peer Group Governors Sharon Lieblein and Peter Golden at their reception, days before the Creative Arts Emmys are awarded in their categories.
Peer group gatherings have dominated the outdoor plaza at the Montage over the past few weeks.
No Emmys for “Million Dollar Listing” this year, but they had a viewing party in a million (plus) dollar house to celebrate Season 8. Yes, 8. Pictured, Douglas Elliman agents Juliette Hohnen, Josh Altman, Matthew Altman and CRO, Stephen Kotler.
The viewing party scene. Wardrobe was “high end real estate casual.”
