Stars align for Entertainment Weekly’s pre-Emmy party
So many celebrities showed up for Entertainment Weekly’s pre-Emmy shindig, presented by L’Oreal Paris at Nightingale Plaza in Los Angeles, that they had to wait to take their turns on the red carpet, Most had to stand in a line as long as what you might see at Los Angeles International Airport on a holiday weekend.
There was Christian Slater (“Mr. Robot”), Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. (“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”), Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez and Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”), Margo Martindale and Alison Wright (“The Americans” and “Confirmation”) joining the mass of celebrants on Friday night.
Party-hopping Emmy nominees, previous winners and other VIPs on tight schedules had priority, so we grabbed the chance to chat with Laverne Cox from “Orange is the New Black” and the upcoming TV musical “Rocky Horror Picture Show” as she was whisked from the check-in to the red carpet.
Cox cheered this year’s female nominees, hazarding a guess that Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) would again win another Emmy for best actress in a comedy. But she had a harder time predicting winners in the drama categories.
“Drama’s hard,” Cox said. “There were so many amazing female performances this year. I know I really want Felicity Huffman to win for a limited series. I loved her in ‘American Crime.’ But then there’s Sarah Paulson, and she’s probably going to win. Robin Wright is always amazing, and Viola (Davis), of course, is one of my idols.”
Inside, guests shouted conversations over the music, danced in place or, like Paulson and Amanda Peet (“Togetherness”), found a slightly quieter spot on a banquette. Lea Michele (“Scream Queens”) hung out with Ashley Madekwe (“Revenge”). The “Modern Family” gang shared a table while Chris Colfer (“Glee”) talked of his current projects, including his book, “The Land of Stories.”
Having already won the 2015 and 2016 outstanding guest actress Emmys for “The Americans,” Martindale held up crossed fingers in hopes of further wins for the series about Soviet spies. The show was nominated in four additional categories, including lead actor, lead actress, writing and drama series.
“I’m so beyond excited and thrilled that I’ll be there hopefully to see them all win,” she said. “I’m so happy for Matthew [Rhys] and Keri [Russell] both, and for the show and for the writers.”
Also happy for the show’s recent accolades, Alison Wright said, “As far as I know, it’s very unusual for a show to be nominated for the first time in it’s fourth season. I’m not sure it’s ever happened before.”
As for her character getting shipped off to Russia, she said, “I was horrified when they told me. I thought, ‘Poor thing.’ I couldn’t see a silver lining, but then they had in a way given her the best ending they could have had for her. She’s alive.”
In keeping with the show’s Reagan-era vibe, she wore a vintage cocktail frock covered in sequins, once worn, she surmised, “by a powerful ’80s lady.”
Also in the crowd were Jaime King, Mary J. Blige, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Rumer Willis, Andie MacDowell, Yara Shahidi, Tituss Burgess, Francesca Eastwood, Garcelle Beauvais, Jordana Brewster and Analeigh Tipton.
