If you’re one of the nominees for Emmy’s highest-profile categories, it’s hard to relax 48 hours before the big night. That doesn’t mean you can’t let your hair down, tip a glass or two and have a good old time.
After all, that’s the tradition at the Television Academy’s Performer Nominees reception held on Friday night before the Primetime Emmy Awards – again this year at Wolfgang Puck’s Spectra at the Pacific Design Center.
The evening began with a red carpet outside the Blue Building where Emmy nominees– and some winners who had already been crowned at the Creative Arts Emmys last Sunday– stopped to pose and share some thoughts about the upcoming awards.
Among the many guests were supporting drama actress nominee Morena Baccarin– looking lovely in late pregnancy, lead drama actor nominee Hugh Bonneville and other Emmy hopefuls like Julie Bowen, Sarah Paulson, Matt LeBlanc, Dot Marie Jones, James Cromwell, Tony Hale, Michelle Dockery, Scott Bakula, Mayim Bialik and Connie Britton.
Hale couldn’t have known at that point he’d be taking the statuette for supporting comedy actor, and trailing co-star Julia Louis Dreyfus to the podium, her purse in hand on Sunday night.
Once inside, the first priority for many was the bountiful dinner buffet featuring several Puck specialties, not to mention the Grey Goose cocktails and the wines from Napa Valley’s acclaimed Beaulieu Vineyard, celebrating its 10th year as official wine sponsor for the Primetime Emmy Awards.
After the seated dinner, everyone gathered on the patio for the official certificate presentation from ATAS performers branch governors Lily Tomlin and Bob Bergen, which made for a colorful group photo before the recipients headed off into the night to one or several other bashes taking place.
Yes, the night was still young, but it was off to a stellar start.
