Neil Patrick Harris is on FIRE! This year, Harris has hosted the Tony Awards and will be host to the Emmy Awards to be presented tonight on CBS at 8/7 C.
Which award show will he be snagged to host next? Harris jokes:
“Tonys, Emmys, and then there’s only one thing left – the Telemundo Awards.”
You will most likely remember Harris as “Doogie Howser, M.D.” from 1989-1993, but my, has NPH blossomed into an actor of multiple talents! He’s done work on Broadway in both musical and dramatic roles (Cabaret, Rent) and can now be seen on CBS’s TV sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother” of which he is nominated for Best Supporting Actor this year.
Harris is not only hosting, but also took on producer duties for the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards:
“I didn’t want to walk into a situation where I was handed a script not to my liking. I wanted the ability to have a say in the structuring and creation of the show. Maybe it’s the wannabe director in me, but I was way more interested in how the show was structured and not as interested in how the host is doing.”
Harris tapped his friend Paul Greenberg (comedian-writer) and Joe Kelly (writer on HIMYM) to aid in the crafting of the show. Sources say that the writing staff will “be on site to pen jokes about the show as it goes along”. Harris will function as most of a roastmaster than a traditional host. He says that he’s “not just gonna come out and do funny bits and leave.” An “extravagant Muppet-themed opening” has been thrown by the wayside, but “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographers, Tabitha and Napoleon have been tapped bring in dance elements to the show.
According to Harris, the theme for the show is “to celebrate the year in television by honoring specific people within it. We’re not gonna do a three-hour show, only talking about the nominated shows, because a lot has happened in TV, especially this year. You have the whole election, great SNL stuff, Jon and Kate, all the [Real] Housewives…[People should] sit back and appreciate the year that was in TV, give out awards to people who deserve them, and stare at fancy dresses.”
Presenters for the awards include: Michael J. Fox, Ellen Burstyn, Patricia Arquette, David Boreanaz, Jon Cryer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Rob Lowe, Tracy Morgan, Hayden Panettiere, Bob Newhart, Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Simon Baker, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Kiefer Sutherland, Chandra Wilson, Dana Delany, Jimmy Fallon, Alyson Hannigan, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Stephen Moyer, Jason Segel, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ricky Gervais, Jim Parsons, Amy Poehler, Kyra Sedgwick and Sigourney Weaver, plus Kaley Cuoco, Cat Deeley, Johnny Galecki, LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell, Anna Torv and Kate Walsh.
Some of the Emmys have already been awarded in the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys last weekend, including the one for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program which scored an Emmy win for Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” that Harris starred in along with Nathan Fillion (Castle, Serenity) and Felicia Day (The Guild, Buffy).
As always, ratings are key and Harris is working his magic with a 19% increase in viewership of the Tony’s over last year’s broadcast, bringing in the largest audience in three years. The Emmys need his help. Last year’s show had the lowest viewership ever with only 12.3 million viewers.
Will NPH break into song for the Emmys? Harris would only say:
“We’re weighing our options. But I don’t really want it to be the Neil Patrick Harris show and a bunch of awards. I want it to be the Emmy show, and I’m your camp counselor.”
Have your checklist ready to see how our sci-fi shows do! Reference here for the nominees.
[Source] AP News, Wikipedia, EW, Extra
