The Final Word on the Emmys

(Pics by Joe on his iPhone.)

Yes, covering the Emmys is the bomb... or so the LAPD would have you think (above).

Spent most of Sunday once again reporting on TV's big night -- actually, given the dismal ratings, can it even be called that? Backstage in the "Deadline Press Room" (a chilly, air-conditioned trailer complete with a live feed of the Emmy telecast), I whipped up several pieces for Variety on topics ranging from AMC's rise as an original programming source (as the big haul for "Broken Trail" proved) to the large number of new faces scoring Emmys (a rarity for an organization that couldn't stop handing out the prize to Doris Roberts).

Then again, James Spader's best drama actor win was a reminder that the TV academy still has a way to go.

Check out Variety's coverage here.

\As for the after parties, my colleague Joe and I first hit the big Entertainment Tonight/People mag soiree at the Disney Concert Hall -- where I got to congratulate Tony Bennett for his multiple Emmy wins (and saw D-listers Tori Spelling and Kathy Griffin -- who, as a newly minted Emmy winner, may have graduated to C-list territory) and see Duran Duran perform live. The Disney Hall is a great place for a party -- spread out comfortably, unlike the past cramped ET/People affairs at the Sky Bar. It was also nice to quickly speed from the Shrine to the Disney Hall; let's hope more parties move downtown next year (and given the likelihood that the Emmys are moving into Downtown's L.A. Live "Nokia Theater," that's a real possibility.)

After ET/People, we hopped on Beverly down to West Hollywood, where HBO was serving up a Thailand-themed extravaganza at the Pacific Design Center. People clutching their new pointy Emmy statuette were all over the place. Then we lept across the street to DirecTV's first-ever Emmy shindig, highlighted in the center by a rave-like dance balloon where partyers who wanted to shake to the loud music could do so. But it was late, and the party had mostly cleared out by the time we arrived. And no, since we're not an Emmy winner or big-name celeb, no free flat-screen TV for us. (Yes, that was really a VIP party perk at the DirecTV shindig for VIPs). For all that cross-town party hopping, I was back at home by 1:30. It was a school night, after all, and TV folk are notoriously the least party-minded arm of the entertainment biz (although NBC U's Ben Silverman is working hard to change that stereotype).