The 2000 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

The 411: Emmys for the creative arts categories are awarded Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, two weeks before the 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Who’s Who: Spike Jones Jr. is producing the event for the sixth time; show committee chairs Michael Hoey and John Moffitt are executive producers; Jim Tanker is directing; Tony Desena and Michael Rowe are writers.

Get a Clue: Emmys will be awarded in 57 categories during the ceremony, ranging from casting to sound editing to lighting. Though most of the acting awards are saved for the main event, those competing in the guest actor and actress spots will find out who won. This year’s presenters include Michael Badalucco, Kathy Baker, Catherine Bell, Tom Selleck, Marlee Matlin and Henry Winkler.

The Past: Until 1994, the Creative Arts Emmys were held in a banquet room at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium the night before the prime-time Emmys.

The Future: Cable’s HBO Plus will air a one-hour version on Sept. 7 and 9. It is the third year the awards show will be televised.

Pause for Thought:

Producer Spike Jones Jr.: “The first [Creative Arts Awards show] I did was when it was done as part of a dinner. . . . It was just noisy and tacky, and the room was huge. It was laid out poorly for an awards presentation, and it took forever for people to get to the stage. We are dealing with an audience of 2,500 people who are industry-savvy. They get it quickly. We can be more creative and fun. We can take chances. But once you start getting to award No. 41 or 42, the audience is filled with nothing but losers. It gets real quiet. We save the best jokes for last, and we make it quick. Do the math, and it’s 2 1/2 minutes per award. As far as the HBO Plus edited version, we grab all the best lines from the show and edit it into a 50-minute highlight reel. We make it right [for mass consumption].”