Television stars in extravagant clothes were the order of the evening on the red carpet, and if you were fortunate enough to have a seat at the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, you saw them up close in all their finery.
Few fans were that fortunate.
This year, the screaming hordes were pre-screened and pre-selected–and still they were seated much further away from their favorite stars than in previous years, when they were so close it was possible to get the occasional autograph.
Those who didn’t get a seat were left outside the Shrine Auditorium, the boldest among them plotting how to get in past the tight security that surrounded the area for six blocks each way.
It was almost impossible to fake your way in; you had to be one of the elite, and if you weren’t, you were stuck with the noise pollution of circling helicopters and lines of limos blocking traffic.
That’s where we caught up with a small crowd of unlucky fans, who watched from a distance as Katie Couric and Matt Lauer talked to stars on the red carpet. We asked some of the onlookers their thoughts on this year’s Emmys, their favorite shows, the actors they love to hate, the new Emmy honor system and this year’s host, Conan O’Brien. Here are some of the more interesting things we heard:
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Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed below do not reflect the opinions of Hollywood.com or its staff. Especially the one about Jennifer Aniston. We think she’s pretty great.
“I love the show Friends. I really think that despite Courteney Cox [Arquette]‘s lack of nominations for an Emmy that she should win.
Celeste White, USC junior
“Will & Grace rocks. And I love Debra Messing.”
Krystal Green, USC freshman
“My favorite shows are The West Wing and CSI. I like the suspense. Law and Order is good too.”
Pamela Roberts, Long Beach State graduate student
“Sex and the City and Frasier are two shows that make me wonder why they were even created.”
Justin Doucette, Los Angeles native
“Bernie Mac will win.”
Louis Dublin, Ohio State graduate
“The person I love to hate is Jennifer Aniston. She’s really not attractive and she certainly isn’t a great actress.”
William Taylor, USC freshman
“Television is not my thing, but the chick on Alias is.”
Gregory Menina, local building manager
“I don’t want to miss any show that was nominated for best comedy. I love all the shows. I want to see which on will win. I guess I love comedies.”
Laura Taylor, USC graduate
“Fans? Nope, there are none since 911.
Candice VanBuren, police officer
“I’m so aggravated. I just wanted to see the red carpet arrivals. But I’m just standing here trying to convince these *&%# to let me in.”
Anonymous
” I love Six Feet Under because it’s different.”
Linda Lee
“Friends. Why is it still on?”
Michael Washington, USC sophomore
” Conan O’Brien cheapens the show a little bit, don’t you think?”
Mary Ann Laurent, major television fan
“[The Emmy honor system] sounds good. But who are the people they pick to honor?”
Misty Abraham, Los Angeles native
“I want to see what outfits they spent too much money on this year”
Lana Bucharan
“Hate? I have no love for Everybody Loves Raymond.”
Duke Lewis, UC Santa Barbara sophomore
