Some select comments from those who took home the trophies:

Tina Fey, on her character Liz Lemon in the Emmy-winning comedy 30 Rock:

“Liz is sort of close to me, a truthful portrayal of a woman in her 30s in a male workplace. She’s the antithesis of those Sex and the City ladies, not having a lot of sex and not wearing fabulous clothes. She’s more regular. She’s a person whose only successes in life have been in the realm of work so she’s a little stunted in her personal endeavors. She’s like me, obedient and cautious, with a real jealous streak that needs to be tamed. I like trying to use her uglier qualities as a jumping off point for stories.” 

Robert Duvall, on his turn as Print Ritter in Broken Trail:

“I really feel like what you need for a Western is a good hat and a good horse.  On Open Range with Costner I broke some ribs.  I wanted to make sure I was ready with a horse that was bomb-proof.   I wanted to develop a good seat, and practice drawing a weapon.  I only ride when I have an objective.”

Thomas Haden Church on his role as Tom Harte in Broken Trail:

“Before I reported to Alberta, I had to tighten up in the saddle and grow a moustache. It was not negotiable. If you want to have credibility in a Western, you have to have a moustache. Why? Razors were few and far between and mirrors even scarcer. They actually called them nose and chin whiskers. It was the first time I ever grew a moustache.  My mom thought it was fake.” 

Church was reportedly the first one at the Governors Ball catered by Patina and vino from Napa’s BV and then it was off into the night for the other fetes. 

The Godiva chocolate bar at the scrumptious ET/People Magazine bash at Walt Disney Hall, where Duran Duran rocked the house that Gehry built

The fourth annual Entertainment Tonight Emmy party sponsored by People left its longtime home at the Mondrian for the culturally loftier climes of downtown’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, yet retained the fun indoor/outdoor vibe, with Dave Koz and bandmates setting the mood outside. Guests lined up for a Patina-created buffet featuring mini-scallop burgers, planked salmon and a mashed potato bar with truffle butter, Rocquefort crumbles, apple wood smoked bacon and more to swirl on top. Kodak took keepsake pix and Maybelline New York and Garnier Fructis handed out goodies before the big excitement of the evening: Duran Duran’s performance.

At the HBO party, designer Billy Butchkavitz outdid himself with an ornate purple and gold Thai theme, complete with a massive Buddha blessing the proceedings on the terrace of the PDC. But it was James Gandolfini and The Sopranos crew that stole the spotlight, just as they did on the telecast and for the seven memorable seasons before they went to black. Kanye West—man, was he busy that night, playing with Justin Timberlake and John Legend at two other venues—grabbed a second helping of the tasty Thai cuisine. Makeup artists from Laura Mercier got the beauty on partygoers as the dance floor filled with revelers. Network executives out from New York, quite pleased with the proceedings, were among the last to leave.

Across a closed San Vicente, DirecTV went all out in throwing its first-ever Emmy night bash, to celebrate the upcoming launch of 100 HD channels. Erected on a softball field, well, if you build it they will come. The dome featured video projections inside and out and stole the night’s top prize for high-tech innovation. Creating a hip, club-like atmosphere, the party attracted a black-clad crowd, with DJs AM and Brent Bolthouse spinning the tunes. Bolthouse Productions & SBE did their usual stunning job with attention to detail, down to the oversized, thick bronze silk napkins and gorge flower arrangements. 

TV Guide’s party at Les Deux was a lot about the music, as it always is. It wasn’t just West’s surprise appearance with John Legend, who had been billed as the headliner, but Teri Hatcher jumped on stage to perform with Band From TV, featuring DH co-star James Denton, Hugh Laurie, Bob Guiney, Bonnie Somerville and Greg Grunberg.

Things got a little hazy—in a good way—inside the specially constructed dome for the DirecTV bash set up on a softball field across from the PDC 

The night before, NBC/Uni threw a refreshingly red carpet and paparazzi-free hot-ticket party, now in its fourth year. Guests crammed into Spago, cruising and schmoozing with Ben Silverman, Lorne Michaels, Larry David, Tony Bennett, Tina Fey, Heidi Klum and Seal, Debra Messing and Patricia Arquette—and the Deal or No Deal ladies. As usual, the raw bar—piled with lobster, crab, shrimp and oysters was a big hit, but the newly launched Absolut 100 (proof) was a little scary if a breathalyzer test was in one’s near future.