the Emmy Awards

If life was perfect, then each and every nominated celebrity would be going home with gold at the Emmy Awards. But for some, mingling among their peers, partying with television’s hautest names and picking up a few award-worthy goodies is good enough. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at what you missed over the Emmy Awards weekend.

THE GOVERNORS BALL

Photo Credit: Invision/AP Images

Immediately following the Emmys telecast on Monday night, Emmy winners, nominees and over 3,600 guests celebrated television’s biggest night at the 66^th Emmy Awards Governors Ball. The “Kaleidoscope of Color” themed Ball at the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center fused modern optics and lighting technologies with creative color concepts, fine dining and electrifying entertainment. Attendees included Angela Bassett (American Horror Story: Coven), Anna Gunn (Winner – Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Breaking Bad), Aaron Paul (Winner – Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Breaking Bad), Betsy Brandt (Mad Men), Bryan Cranston (Winner – Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Breaking Bad), Carson Daly (The Voice), Claire Danes (Homeland), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black), Derek Hough (Dancing with the Stars), Heidi Klum (Project Runway), Idris Elba (Luther), January Jones (Mad Men), Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live), Jessica Lange (Winner – Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie, American Horror Story: Coven),  Joe Morton (Winner – Guest Actor in a Drama Series, Scandal), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Jon Voight (Ray Donovan), Julianna Margulies (Winner – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, The Good Wife), Julianne Hough (Dancing with the Stars), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live, Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), Louis C. K. (Winner – Writing for a Comedy Series, Louie), Lucy Liu (Elementary), Mark Ruffalo (Winner – Outstanding Television Movie, The Normal Heart), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Minnie Driver (About a Boy), Octavia Spencer (Mom). Ryan Murphy (Winner – Outstanding Television Movie, The Normal Heart), Stephen Colbert  (Winner – Outstanding Variety Series, The Colbert Report), Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black) , Uzo Aduba (Winner – Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Orange is the New Black), Woody Harrelson (True Detective) and Zac Posen .Guests dined on a menu prepared by Patina Catering – starting with a grilled peach and heirloom salad, followed by a filet of beef with a potato “bone” filled with golden potato puree, caramelized cippolini, crisp lacinato kale and zephyr squash, in a sauce of red wine and artisan grapes. The dessert was a contemporary take on chocolate s’mores. The ultimate Emmy after party featured entertainment by special guest vocalist and recording artist Judith Hill (20 Feet From Stardom, The Voice), The Red Hot Band, Extreme Beam, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and String Theory. For the third year, the Governors Ball featured the “Emmy Winner’s Circle,” an exclusive area where award recipients including Bryan Cranston, Mark Ruffalo and more stopped by to get their golden statuettes personalized.  Beaulieu Vineyard provided the wine served at the fete.

Photo Credit: Wireimage

BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS LOS ANGELES TV TEA 2014

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA Los Angeles) celebrated Emmy weekend with their annual BAFTA Los Angeles TV Tea on Saturday at the SLS Hotel. Launched in 2003, the BAFTA LA TV Tea is one of the most prestigious events in the annual awards calendar.  The 2014 Tea was held the Saturday afternoon prior to The Primetime Emmy Awards, and celebrated excellence in television by honoring this year’s nominees from the UK, Commonwealth and America.  Leading television executives, celebrities, BAFTA members, as well as Emmy Nominees enjoyed traditionally British tea and scones, and cocktails, as BAFTA Los Angeles raised awareness and support for its extensive Community Outreach and Education programs. Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black), Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jacqueline Bisset, Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), Anna Chlumsky (Veep), Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black), Cat Deeley(So You Think You Can Dance?), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Minnie Driver (Return To Zero), Kevin Dunn (Veep), Carey Elwes, James Frain, Laura Fraser, Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Jordan Gavaris(Orphan Black), Anne Heche (Dig), Ken Howard, Robbie Kay (Once Upon a Time), Joey King, Nigel Lythgoe(So You Think You Can Dance), Stephen Merchant, Miss J Alexander, RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Adrienne C. Moore (Orange is the New Black), Joe Morton (Scandal), Niecy Nash (Getting On), Gareth Neame (Downton Abbey), Bailey Noble (True Blood), Chris O’Dowd, Michael Potts (True Detective), James Remar, Thomas Brodie Sangster (Game of Thrones), Christiane Seidel (Boardwalk Empire), Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Tim Simons (Veep), Mira Sorvino, Allison Tolman (Fargo) and Ed Weeks attended the event, which was presented by Jaguar and BBC America.

VARIETY AND WOMEN IN FILM’S ANNUAL PRE-EMMY CELEBRATION

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, Variety Magazine and Women in Film joined forces to host a pre-Emmy celebration party at Gracias Madre. Guests such as Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black), Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Maria Bello (Prime Suspect), Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory), Jason Biggs (Orange Is The New Black), Betsy Brandt (The Club), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Madeline Brewer (Orange Is The New Black), Danielle Brooks (Orange Is The New Black), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal), Kate Burton (Scandal), Sophia Bush (Chicago P.D.), Anna Camp (True Blood), Josh Charles (The Good Wife), Michael Chiklis (American Horror Story), Anna Chlumsky (Veep), Gary Cole (Veep), Tom Colicchio (Top Chef), Michaela Conlin (Bones), Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black), Amanda Crew (Silicon Valley), Alexandra Daddario (True Detective), Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder), Amanda de Cadenet (Undone with @AmandadeCadenet), Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance), Taye Diggs (Murder in the First), Ben Feldman (A to Z), Joanne Froggat (Downton Abbey), Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Harry Hamlin (Mad Men), Colin Hanks (Fargo), Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles), Michael Harney (Orange Is The New Black), Anne Heche (Hung), Timothy Hutton (Leverage), Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Victoria Justice (Victorious), Lisa Kudrow (Angie Tribeca), Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef), Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope), Rachelle Lefevre (Under the Dome), Selenis Leyva (Orange Is The New Black), Peyton List (Jessie), Katie Lowes (Scandal), Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is The New Black), William H. Macy (Shameless), Ashley Madekwe (Revenge), Bill Maher (Real Time with Bill Maher), Aasif Mandvi (The Internship), Taryn Manning (Orange Is The New Black), James Marsden (30 Rock), Matt McGorry (Orange Is The New Black), Maria Menounos (Louie), Lea Michele (Glee), Cristin Milioti (A to Z), RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Alfred Molina (The Normal Heart), Michelle Monaghan (True Detective), Joe Morton (Scandal), Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black), Jeff Perry (Scandal), Dascha Polanco (Orange Is The New Black), Laura Prepon (Orange Is The New Black), Jaime Pressly (Jennifer Falls), Gina Rodriguez (The Bold and the Beautiful), Taylor Schilling (Orange Is The New Black), Pablo Schreiber (Orange Is The New Black), Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Gail Simmons (Top Chef), Timothy Simons (Veep), Karina Smirnoff (Dancing With The Stars), Abigail Spencer (Rectify), Darby Stanchfield (Scandal), Alison Tolman (Fargo), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family), Jon Voight (Ray Donovan) and Kate Walsh (Bad Judge) played with Samsung’s newest devices including the Galaxy Tab^® S, and Galaxy S^® 5.  Mercedes-Benz also showcased its all-new 2015 S65 AMG Coupe at the event.

HBO’S POST-EMMYS PARTY

Photo Credit: Jeff Kravitz

It was a festive evening at the Plaza at the Pacific Design Center, where HBO held its annual post-Emmys bash on Monday evening and celebrated a record total of 19 awards.  Julia Roberts and husband Danny Moder arrived early, while latecomers came like Sofia Vergara, Woody Harrelson, Lisa Kudrow, Larry David, Justin Theroux and Tom Hanks kept the party going until late night. Julia Louis Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert and Ryan Murphy wandered around the party with gigantic smiles on their faces thanks to the Emmys in their hands. Vergara and Derek Hough should have won the award for the most entertaining duo, as the two tore up the dance floor with a complicated, fun-filled impromptu routine. Also spotted at the fete were Girls stars Lena Dunham and Allison Williams, as well as Paula Patton, Malin Akerman, Jeff Daniels, Peter Dinklage and the cast of Game of Thrones and Billy Crystal, fresh from his touching tribute to the late Robin Williams. 

GBK’S TV AWARDS CELEBRITY LOUNGE

Photo Credit: WireImage

GBK Productions hosted its annual gifting suite for presenters and nominees as well as top tier television stars on August 22nd and 23rd at L’Ermitage hotel. Angela Basset, R.J. Mitte, Edie Falco, Beau Bridges, Mariel Hemingway and Viola Davis were among the major names that scooped up items from Palace Resorts and Caribbean Living that provided a three night stay for two at Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort; a one night gift certificate from Crescent Hotel Beverly Hills; and a gift certificate for The Little Nell, Aspen’s only five-star, five-diamond property. Other items being gifted to the stars included bluetooth headphones from LG Electronics, gift certificates from Maxim Mattress; gym memberships from David Barton Gym, sunglasses from Foster Grant, a year’s supply of JeJu 16 Water and gift bags from the Artisan Group. Non profit organizations also participated in the event, including GO Campaign—a grantmaking organization that improves the lives of orphans and vulnerable children around the world by partnering with local heroes to deliver local solutions; Cops 4 Causes— the first law enforcement non-profit organization to be created to collectively highlight the philanthropic efforts of law enforcement and the Environmental Media Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the power of the entertainment industry and the media to educate the global public on environmental issues and motivate sustainable lifestyles.

66th EMMY AWARDS PERFORMERS NOMINEE RECEPTION

Photo Credit: Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)

On Saturday night, the Television Academy celebrated the 66^TH Emmy^® Award Nominees for Outstanding Performances with an exclusive cocktail reception at Spectra by Wolfgang Puck. Nominees in attendance included Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) – WINNER of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Angela Bassett (American Horror Story: Coven) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Julie Bowen (Modern Family) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Beau Bridges (Masters of Sex) – Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex) – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Jim Carter (Downton Abbey) – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Josh Charles (The Good Wife) – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Anna Chlumsky (Veep) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black)  – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance) – Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Stephen Full (Dog With A Blog) – Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance , Tony Hale (Veep) – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, *Allison Janney (Mom, Masters of Sex) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and WINNER of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Maurice LaMarche (Futurama) – Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, Matt LeBlanc (Episodes) – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Margo Martindale (The Americans) – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, *Joe Morton (Scandal) – WINNER of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is the New Black) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Coven) – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Taylor Schilling (Orange Is The New Black) – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo) – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, Allison Tolman (Fargo) – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Jon Voight (Ray Donovan) – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Additional attendees included: Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), Jamie Brewer (American Horror Story), Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black), Chris Chalk (The Newsroom), Frank De Julio (The Normal Heart), Noel Fisher (Shameless), Matt Jones (Mom), Donis Leonard, Jr. (House of Lies), Joey King (Fargo), James Marsden (Anchorman 2) Taryn Manning (Orange Is the New Black), Sean Meehan (The Normal Heart), RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Cameron Monaghan (Shameless), Michael Potts (True Detective),  Alysia Reiner (Orange Is the New Black), Yael Stone (Orange Is the New Black) and Glynn Turman (House of Lies). The event was sponsored by Audi®, Samsung, Keurig, L’Oreal, United, Beaulieu Vineyard and Cellar Door Chocolates.

THE HBO LUXURY LOUNGE

HBO hosted its 13^th annual Luxury Lounge over the weekend at The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The event brought together press-worthy talent to celebrate their successes and relax among their peers while interacting with top of the line brands before this year’s festivities. HBO stars that indulged included: Game of Thrones’ Sibel Kekilli, Nikolaj Coster-Waldou, and Natalie Dormer; Boardwalk Empire’s Eric Ladin; True Blood’s Rutina Wesley, Kristin Bauer Van Straten and Gregg Daniel; True Detective’s Michael Potts and Tory Kittles; Treme’s Wendell Pierce and Ntare Mwine; Veep’s Gary Cole, Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, Kevin Dunn, Reid Scott, Sufe Bradshaw, and Tony Hale; Silicon Valley’s Martin Starr, Josh Brener, Thomas Middleditch, Zach Woods and Amanda Crew; Eastbound & Down’s Ken Marino; Entourage’s Perrey Reeves; Normal Heart’s Dante Di Loreto; Girls’ Ilene Landress; Newsroom’s Adina Porter;and Banshee’s Lili Simmons. Other celebrities and nominees attending the suite included Patricia Arquette, Christine Baranski; Mark Feuerstein; Al Roker; RJ Mitte; Ellen Burstyn and Beau Bridges.  Celebrities were pampered and gifted with items such as Pandora jewelry moments charm bracelets, necklaces, and rings, Logitech products, Desigual clothing, Proper Pillows, facials and massages from The Spa at Four Seasons and Gendarme colognes.