Katrina victims in their thoughts

THE aftermath of Hurricane Katrina did not take center stage at the Emmy Awards, but the tragedy still formed a backdrop for much of the ceremony, from tributes to the victims to more political statements.

Unlike the Emmy show after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which there was national unity against a common enemy, this broadcast brought out the controversy and blame swirling around the disaster.

Patricia Arquette, who scored outstanding lead actress for a drama for NBC’s “Medium,” said backstage that she had been so busy working to help victims that she had not had time to think about the awards.

“This is like wartime,” she said. “Half a million people homeless, overnight. And all the poor, all the working poor who live from paycheck to paycheck, all the middle class.... Babies don’t have diapers, they’re getting sores. They don’t have milk.”

Other comments included host Ellen DeGeneres’ heartfelt “our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was affected” and Jon Stewart’s humorous rant criticizing the government response to the disaster. Although some made a few references to the war in Iraq, winners and presenters largely steered clear of broader political statements or criticisms that have marked recent award celebrations.

“I’m honored ... because it’s times like this that we really need laughter,” said DeGeneres during her opening monologue, in an eerie echo of statements during her stint as host of the 2001 Emmys, which had been postponed twice following the Sept. 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan.

DeGeneres also called New Orleans “my hometown” and noted that she has relatives in Mississippi who lost homes in the storm.

Tyler James Williams, star of the new UPN series “Everybody Hates Chris,” brought onstage a young boy from New Orleans who had lost his home in the disaster. The two pleaded for donations to Habitat for Humanity. A tribute to the veteran network news anchors who retired this year -- Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw -- and the late Peter Jennings also alluded to some of the news footage of the storm’s devastation.

When asked backstage if celebrities had a responsibility to help the storm victims, James Spader, who scored his second consecutive award for outstanding actor in a drama for “Boston Legal,” said, “I think there should be a responsibility of people helping people. One of the things I noticed in the aftermath of the hurricane -- and I mean the very next day -- is that people did step right up right away without pause or reservation.... That happens again and again, and I think it excuses all the sort of silliness that we’re spending our lives pursuing, trivial pursuits I’ve devoted my life to, certainly.”

“Survivor” host Jeff Probst and William Shatner, who won an outstanding supporting actor in a drama Emmy for “Boston Legal,” were among several presenters who wore magnolias, the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi.

And Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” put a more humorous spin on the tragedy when he launched into a rant criticizing the local, state and federal government response to the storm.

The comments were repeatedly bleeped, dubbed, sped up and interrupted by pop-up ads for “Two and a Half Men.” Images of dogs and cats covered his hands as he appeared to make offending gestures.

On the red carpet, some celebrities said the tragedy had affected the tone of the awards.

Said Matthew St. Patrick of HBO’s “Six Feet Under”: “It’s just not as joyous as it would be otherwise. A lot of people lost everything they had.”

As he mingled, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, who plays Carlos Solis, the husband of Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” introduced his companion for the evening, Hope Cooper, a Washington, D.C., attorney who purchased Chavira’s extra ticket in an auction for disaster relief.

“I feel like Cinderella at the ball,” said Cooper, who paid $11,000 for the ticket. “I feel like I’ve already got my money’s worth.”

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DONALD TRUMPS DIVA: In a nod to “American Idol’s” juggernaut popularity, “Emmy Idol” pitted Donald Trump and Megan Mullally (in a bizarre duet of the “Green Acres” song) against William Shatner and Frederica von Stade’s “Star Trek” theme. Trump and Mullally won, but in the reality competition category, Simon Cowell & Co. left empty-handed again.

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Times staff writer Merrill Balassone contributed to this report.