How much of a celebrity-obsessive do you have to be to watch 9 hours of Creative Arts Emmys, Emmy pre-show and Primetime Emmys?  About as much as I am, I suppose.

The Creative Arts Emmy broadcast was Saturday night on E! and it was more entertaining than the main broadcast Sunday night.  Sarah Silverman was uncharacteristically adorable, and Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke were far superior hosts. 

With a total of four straight hours of pre-show on E!, then a three hour show, anyone addicted to celebrities, high fashion and ridiculously expensive accessories, can overdose on any awards night, but for some reason, the Emmys can actually give you a hangover before the show is even over.

“Who are you wearing?”, the most overused phrase on E!, is also the most important question of the night for those that tune in for the dresses, jewels, and shoes (and some of the suits).  The Hills’ Lauren Conrad was, not surprisingly, the first “celebrity” on the red carpet and set the fashion tone for a night: bare shoulders, floor length gowns, and strong colors (aside from Marcia Cross’ flesh colored tutu and Eva Longoria’s keep-the-baby-talk fueled flapper dress).

No one’s hair was bigger than Patrick Dempsey’s, but that’s usually how it is anywhere McDreamy is on the guest list.  Most of the Hollywood women wore their hair down, flowing and wavy, so Tina Fey looked very anti-Palin, but, she said she would be happy to have a drink with the Alaska Governor if she’s free in late November.

Ryan Seacrest gets a lot of grief for his too casual hosting of American Idol, and his questionable production partnerships (Denise Richards?  Paris Hilton?) but he’s in his element in the pre-show kind of atmosphere and does a pretty seamless job.  Plus, he knows exactly what it is that he does.  When Kathy Griffin asked him if it bothered him that Josh Grobin got more tail than him, he told her ”He’s a singer. He’s got talent.  I do nothing but fill time.” 

Less impressive was his turn at an opening bit for the main broadcast.  Helping him, or helping him to hurt the rest of us, in hosting the main show were Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Tom Bergeron, all co-hosting and all the first time ever nominees for Best Host of a Reality or Reality-Competition Program.  The show was sometimes painful and at one point Josh Grobin ruined every TV theme song with a vocal montage that anyone ever loved… ever.  Except South Park, he nailed that one.

But then there was Don Rickles!  Don Rickles stole the show!  The guy is abrasive, but he punched some laughs into a dying show, and left Kathy Griffin speechless.  Anyone who can do that deserves an award!  And he was aptly rewarded a few minutes later with his first Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

My personal picks this year went mostly unrealized, with the happy exceptions of the seven 30 Rock and one each Colbert Report and Daily Show wins.   HBO production John Adams won the year with thirteen statuettes and Mad Men came in one behind 30 Rock with six wins. 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
JEREMY PIVEN as Ari Gold Entourage HBO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
JEAN SMART as Regina Newly Samantha Who? ABC

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
ŽELJKO IVANEK as Ray Fiske Damages FX NETWORKS

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
DIANNE WIEST as Dr. Gina Toll In Treatment HBO

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM
The Colbert Report COMEDY CENTRAL

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
LAURA LINNEY as Abigail Adams John Adams HBO

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART COMEDY CENTRAL

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
TINA FEY 30 Rock Cooter NBC

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
TOM WILKINSON as Benjamin Franklin John Adams HBO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
DAME EILEEN ATKINS as Miss Deborah Jenkyns Cranford (Masterpiece) PBS

OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
THE AMAZING RACE CBS

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
JOHN ADAMS HBO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
PAUL GIAMATTI as John Adams John Adams HBO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
ALEC BALDWIN as Jack Donaghy 30 Rock NBC

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
GLENN CLOSE as Patty Hewes Damages FX NETWORKS

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
BRYAN CRANSTON as Walt White Breaking Bad AMC

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
TINA FEY as Liz Lemon 30 Rock NBC

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
JEFF PROBST Survivor CBS

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
30 ROCK NBC

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
MAD MEN AMC

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 60^th Primetime Emmy® Awards Winners Press Release

Picture note by Celebitchy: Here are some photos from red carpet at the Emmys. Shown in order are: Heidi Klum, Eva Longoria, Lauren Conrad, America Ferrerra, Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Mary Louise Parker, Nicollette Sheridan, Mariska Hargitay, Brooke Shields, Tina Fey, Christina Applegate, Cynthia Nixon, Evangeline Lilly, Felicity Huffman, Patrick Dempsey, Debra Messing, Holly Hunter, Jenna Fischer, Kathy Griffin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lara Dern, and Glenn Close.