Is It Showtime Yet?

No, not quite?
Yeah, same deal as every year. The press check-in for the Emmys is 1 pm/PT, many hours before the telecast begins. So here am I, laptop all set up, Red Bull No. 1 half empty, and... and I wait.
While Nina and Ben will be blogging live about the preshow and the Emmycast, respectively, I will be here sharing the reactions and choice sound bites of the winners as they come backstage, gold in hand.
I must say, it's rather pretty in the "tent" this year. ( See photo.) Purple "crystal" chandeliers! A cool backdrop on the winners' stage. And did I mention the unlimited Red Bull? I drink Red Bull one night a year, and this is it.
But perhaps the bestest part of this year's Emmys, no matter who wins? Free Primetime Emmys baseball caps! And in a gym-friendly black.
With so much time to kill, I may venture back to the red carpet, but honestly it is deathly hot out there, and it takes a good 30 minutes back in the press room to cool/"dry" off. While I swear by my Gillette deo, it must have its limits, yes?
On the way in, I gabbed with TV Guide Network hostesses Rosanna Tavarez (looking rather sleek and Grecian with her hair pulled back) and Kimberly Caldwell (looking... like Elisha Cuthbert). I also spied and talked to Average Joe alumna Melana Scantlin, whom I interviewed back in the day of that fun, fun dating series. (She's hosting a somethingoranother for VCAST.) I followed Ausiello here, and while his Kia rental doesn't hold a candle to my red Mustang, that USC alum knows back ways and shortcuts that had us here in record time. I believe at one point we were driving through someone's backyard.
The evening is young (and in fact is many hours away), so much more to come.