Virginia Sherwood/NBCJimmy Fallon. Tons o' stars. Tonight.
Hey, those are three pretty key things right there about the prime-time awards bash—and we haven't even gotten to the actual informational list we prepared for your Emmys enjoyment! So, when do we get our trophy? After you get briefed. Here goes:
1. If you're on the West Coast, pay attention: NBC is airing the festivities live, coast to coast, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. If you're all-around curious, power up: Emmys.com and NBC.com jointly will be offering a live, backstage simulcast.
2. The Pacific is already ahead, having won seven awards last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys. Modern Family is on top of all series, with four.
3. If it cleans up, Modern Family could tie the record for most Emmys by a show in its first season (nine). If it freakishly cleans up (i.e., all of its remaining nominated actors win via ties), it could smash the record.
4. 30 Rock is on a three-year winning streak in the Comedy Series category; Mad Men is on a two-year roll in Drama Series. The consensus is that Mad Men will repeat again, and 30 Rock won't.
5. For a good show, by which we mean a fresh, surprising one, pull for our own Kristin Dos Santos' picks. In the Gold Derby blog's Emmy predictions rundown, you'll see her fighting the tide, and calling for Glee in Comedy Series, Breaking Bad in Drama Series and Friday Night Lights' Kyle Chandler in Lead Drama Series Actor.
6. The Conan O'Brien acceptance speech (should there be one) will be the night's moment to watch for (unless it's not). Stupid lawyers.
7. In the event stupid lawyers stifle and/or ruin O'Brien, then we'll have to make do with George Clooney (humanitarian-award recipient) and Betty White (presenter, Creative Arts winner and the only being hotter than Clooney).
8. Fallon is farming out the writing on his presenter intros to the Twitterverse, meaning someone else besides the host has the task of coming up with something less awkward then, "On CSI, he knows all about the strip. In real life, er… Well, here's Laurence Fishburne!"
9. If you're a J.J. Abrams aficionado, you're all over Gugu Mbatha-Raw. If you're not, you may wonder why one Gugu Mbatha-Raw is presenting, so we'll tell you: Because (a) she's in Abrams' new fall series, Undercovers, which'll air on (b) NBC, just like the Emmys. Television works in obvious ways.
10. Steve Carell (zero wins, eight nominations as of tonight) is a lucky man compared to Larry David, who has yet to convert any of his 10 career nominations for Curb Your Enthusiam into even a single statuette. And if you tell us David shouldn't feel bad since he previously won twice for Seinfeld, then we'll tell you Carell shouldn't feel bad since Angela Lansbury, who's not in the game this year, has lost 18 freakin' times for everything she's ever been up for. So, no, no sympathy here, either, for Hugh Laurie (zero wins, six noms), Jon Hamm (zero wins, five noms) and Kyra Sedgwick (zero wins, five noms).