Can we talk positive? Star Jones has a gentle takeoff as E!’s new runway reporter, though some elegant dresses’ trains make for a hazardous crossing

The walk down the red carpet at the Emmys wasn’t “as scary as it usually is,” quipped “Sex and the City” actress Kim Cattrall. Why? Joan and Melissa Rivers, the mother-and-daughter duo who long hosted the event for E! Entertainment and served as the network’s snarky fashion cops, were replaced by daytime talk show host Star Jones, who ushered in a far friendlier tone as she doled out air kisses and compliments. Jones herself had a costume change mid-event, which she said was only fitting for her diva persona: Her first gown, gold with a plunging neckline, was by Marc Bouwer; the second was a pink, lingerie-style gown by Badgley Mischka. The red carpet did, however, turn out to be a perilous place for a different reason. Just ask Glenn Close and Mary Steenburgen, who showed up wearing gowns with show-stopping trains. The stylishly tattered hem of Steenburgen’s dress kept tripping up her husband, Ted Danson. And Close found herself telling complete strangers, “You’re on my dress.”

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“Everyone gets an Emmy gift bag. I’ll tell you what’s not in there--an Emmy.” Garry Shandling, host of 56th Emmy Awards.