Emmy nominated actors gathered for an annual “class photo” at the Pacific Design Center 48 hours before show. The TV Academy bestowed the actors with frame-worthy nomination certificates as a badge of their achievement. The class photo is asterisked because…
…so many of the big name nominees were not there. MIA: Amy Schumer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ellie Kemper, Jean Smart, Kathy Bates, Claire Danes, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Keri Russell, Robin Wright, Bryan Cranston, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Spacey, Liev Schreiber, Rami Malek, Aziz Ansari, Will Forte, Jeffrey Tambor, Peter Dinklage and Kit Harrington, among others. Imagine what the photo would look like with those additions. It’s easy to assume many were working, as TV actors actually do.
Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Hale and RuPaul became a quick clique, joking around in the back row as the nominees filled the stage one-by-one. Watching this unexpected amigo trio bloom instantly was a highlight of the night.
Janet Varney quipped “Oh, I graduated TV” when receiving her certificate from Lily Tomlin and Bob Bergen, governors of the Television Academy Performers Peer. Varney is nominated for a “Funny or Die” comedy short and is worth the Google.
If audience applause from a room of Academy voters is a reliable indicator, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and Constance Zimmer (“unREAL”) are in for good nights on Sunday. The crowd loved them the most.
The “O.J.” crew took their own breakout photo afterwards with TV Academy president Bruce Rosenblum. “Congrats to O.J. on all of his accomplishments in TV this year,” Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel joked at a pre-Emmys event earlier this week.
Anthony Anderson (second from right) asked for and organized this photo. Courtney B. Vance (far left) carried his own DSLR camera around with him on Friday night. At one point, he handed it to industry photo veteran Jordan Strauss — who was shooting the party for the TV Academy — and asked him to take one of this group on his camera.
This is varsity level Emmy pre-partying: “Game of Thrones” mastermind George R.R. Martin and lead Emilia Clarke get together at BAFTA’s Saturday afternoon Tea Party at the London. The London is BAFTA’s new L.A. homebase for events (except the Golden Globe weekend Tea at the Four Seasons). Ruffino Wines poured for the event that brought out Emmy-winner-in-waiting Tatiana Maslany.
Kerry Washington is a comet on the party circuit – so rarely seen. Washington and producing partner Sharla Sumpter Bridgett held a hush hush gathering on Emmy weekend where Kim Crawford wines flowed.
Jim Carrey was the “awesome-oh wow!” guest at Showtime’s Emmy Eve celebration at the Sunset Tower. He poses with CEO/President David Nevins, who picked up Carrey’s forthcoming comedy series “I’m Dying Up Here”.
Showtime’s “Shameless” cast – including Cameron Monaghan, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, and Sasha Alexander – got the night flowing with Jamie N Commons performing and Svedka cocktails.
Felicity Huffman and Regina King are up for Lead and Supporting on “American Crime.” At the Performers’ Nominee Reception, bartenders slung World Class Spirits like Ketel One Vodka and Brett Ratner‘s Hillhaven Lodge Whiskey, while honorees munched on spreads from Wolfgang Puck.
As the Emmy-branded Audis raced out of the Pacific Design Center, they headed for places like the Gersh party at partner Leslie Siebert’s house in Holmby Hills. There, Kyle Chandler (nominated for Lead Actor, Drama) blew out a candle on a mini cake the night before his 51st birthday. Siebert is his agent.
Sarah Paulson, Ryan Murphy, and Connie Britton at FX and Vanity Fair’s Saturday happy hour party at Craft in Century City.
Allison Janney and Sela Ward at the Gersh bash, where lights projected the agency’s name on hedges. Jeffrey Tambor and Andie MacDowell followed Janney in the door in quick succession. Out by the pool house, Bokeem Woodbine — the scene-stealing gangster from “Fargo” — went off menu, cracking a bottle of beer from the fridge with party co-host and talent manager Steven Siebert.
Earlier on Friday night, Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk (third from left) and the TV Industry Advocacy Awards struck an inspirational tone at their Sunset Tower event honoring TV personalities for their philanthropy. Ben Feldman, Reid Scott, Bronk, Constance Zimmer, Tony Hale, and Michael Kelly were part of the class of 2016’s honorees and presenters.
“It’s about the art of selflessness,” Bronk said. Derek Hough followed up on that right away. Newlyweds Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec presented to Hough (2nd from left), who later offered his celebrity appearance services to the other honorees’ charities.
Former “Breaking Bad” on-screen couple Dean Norris and Betsy Brandt sat in the front row. Norris spoke passionately about his work with The Wounded Warriors Project.
Ben Feldman and Jill Soloway, who made what would be her first of two acceptance speeches on the weekend at the Creative Coalition event with TV Guide Magazine. At the Emmys 48 hours later, Soloway won for “Best Director of a Comedy Series” and made headlines for comparing Trump to Hitler.
Two guys who play politics on TV: Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Michael Kelly (“House of Cards”). Hale was honored for his work with the International Justice Mission, while Kelly has quietly been lobbying Congress for elder care support programs. He has funneled his work through the “Thanks Mom and Dad Fund.”
Over at the EW party at the still-not-open Nightingale Plaza, three digital A-listers — Mamrie Hart, Hannah Hart and Grace Helbig — prepared to take a killer shot for….
…glitter. The three best buddies have a huge Arclight premiere on Tuesday for their feature “Dirty 30,” which hits theaters and iTunes Friday, Sept. 23.
Laverne Cox and designer Zac Posen at EW. Later, Cox would hit the dance floor, which was occupied with other big TV names like Matt Walsh and Tony Hale as DJ Michelle Pesce destroyed the room. Donald Glover was supervising a dance circle on the main dance floor. In the back room, Cuba Gooding Jr. and “Orange is the New Black’s” Lea DeLaria danced together to the Fugees’ “Ready or Not”. Pesce put the “party” in Emmy party.
Lea Michelle and Ashley Madekwe inside the one-night-only opening of Nightingale Plaza for the EW bash.
Mary J. Blige has been on the Emmy party circuit all weekend, and sometimes with a bodyguard. On Friday, Blige was spotted at the Gersh party and EW, after hitting the Audi party with Tasha Smith on Thursday night.
Comedy Central partied the night before the Emmys at Boulevard 3 in Hollywood.
Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher at Comedy Central led a crowd that included Nikki Glaser, the Lucas Brothers, Comedy Central SVP Jonas Larsen, and Fortune Feimster.
Sarah Hyland and Josh Kelly hooked in to Buzzfeed’s battle cries at the viral monolith Buzzies party at Hyde Sunset on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
Buzzfeed’s consistently viral “The Try Guys” (42 million views) handle every part of their creative process themselves – from idea to upload. “No show is actually easy,” Try Guy Ned Fulmer (far right) told TheWrap. “(TV projects) may just have a bigger team doing it. We have a smaller team do it.” As for the guys’ favorite shows: “Orphan Black,” “Archer,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Archer.” The Try Guys are up for a Streamy Award on Oct. 4 for best “Non-Fiction.”
“Pretty Little Liars’” Janel Parrish inside Hyde for the Buzzfeed bash, where autograph hounds crowded the exit.
Carson Kressley won one of the first reality Emmys ever for “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” back in 2004. Keeping his sheen, he picked up Mirai face serum, a Masqueology mask, and Madison & Mulholland’s Cross Body Travel Bag at the Ultimate Primetime TV Lounge at the W Hotel.
