Inside the Emmys afterparties

WHEN the award ceremony’s over, celebrities move on to ultra-exclusive parties where they let their guard down and dance the night away. We got inside.

67th Primetime Emmy Awards - Governors Ball Winners Circle

AFTER the Emmys race has been run and won, it’s all about the afterparties. And boy, they’re good.

The Governors Ball is the first stop. You’re either invited or you’re not and if you’re not holding that golden entry ticket, don’t even think about trying to get in. Security is tighter than some of the actors’ dresses.

When guests left the Emmy Awards ceremony, all 4000 of them marched across the road from the Microsoft Theatre near the LA Lakers home ground, the Staples Centre, and entered the spectacular looking ballroom.

The space was dripping with zillions of Swarovski crystals while a band, raised high in the middle of the room, belted out some upbeat tunes and waiters started plying our glasses with champagne. Believe me, it was the good stuff.

Just about every production house and television company attends The Governors Ball and it’s also where all the winning statues are engraved in a special, security-flanked area.

Guests are fed and watered with brilliant timing. Each of the round tables of 10 is given its own waiters, who are at attention all night.

After a swiftly served three course dinner, including wildflower honey poached Forelle pear salad, fillets of beef tenderloin and a single origin ‘Ghana’ brownie (all washed down with Aussie Penfolds wines), it was almost time for the entertainment.

Come on Mad Men stars, smile!

But not before most guests relaxed and wandered around the room, star-spotting everyone from the multi-winning Game of Thrones team to Veep star Julia Louis Dreyfus, Amy Schumer, show host Andy Samberg, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, Mad Men winner John Hamm, Viola Davis, Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch and every other TV company heavyweight in Los Angeles.

Leading the charge was event organiser Cheryl Cecchetto, who paced the room like a seasoned pro as her well-oiled event machine kicked into gear. It was her 17th Emmys Governor’s Ball.

After the Governor’s Ball, which started just before 8pm and wound up about two-and-a-half hours later, many guests headed off in separate directions to other parties hosted by the likes of HBO, Netflix, Fox, Comedy Central and NBC/ABC.

So after a night of mingling among the stars, here are my afterparty highlights.

THE GOVERNORS BALL

• Andrea Bocelli enthralled the Governors Ball crowd with three songs, including the always emotional Time to Say Goodbye;

• There was a L’Oreal beauty station where guests could perk up their sweltering faces. It had been a balmy 38 degrees on the red carpet, after all;

• Aussie actor Nick Hardcastle introduced the performers, while event planner Cecchetto, complete with ubiquitous earphones, worked the room just as she has done at hundreds of these mega events before.

Inside the Governor's Ball. Fancy huh?

THE HBO PARTY

• The soiree was just a quick Uber ride away. Of course, there were hundreds of Ubers milling around, alongside hundreds of limos, all with parking accreditation and numbered vehicles to match the celebrity they had driven to the party;

• The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, scene of the HBO afterparty, was like a Game of Thrones set, with an extraordinary flame monument in the middle which made the whole room burn in bright orange, red and yellow light;

• Stars of Mad Men, Orange Is the New Black as well as Olive Kitteridge actor Frances McDormand, musician Dave Grohl and Marilyn Manson made their way to the party;

• Big time A-listers are no different to us. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was kicking up her heels with fellow Veep winners and seeing her walk out of the party with her husband Brad Ward, with statues in hand, as she scouted for her limo put a decidedly ‘real’ edge on the perceived glamour of nights like this. She was just a normal woman calmly walking out of a party ... with a few Emmys in her hands;

• Naomi Campbell made an appearance at HBO and looked relaxed with a small gaggle of friends, including American designer Zac Posen;

• Best actor winner Peter Dinklage picked up the gong for the outstanding supporting actor for his role in Game of Thrones, and was still perfectly ensconced well after midnight, with his win taking the awards tally for the series to 12 Emmys last night.

THE FOX PARTY

• Considering Lady Gaga is about to start on the FX series American Horror Story: Hotel, she was the centre of attention at Fox’s party. She wore an extraordinary white gown with full ruffled sleeves, as opposed to the more demure black gown she had worn on the red carpet a few hours earlier. Lady Gaga was hanging out with Taraji P. Henson and tequila shots were the name of the game, while the Modern Family cast and Amy Schumer also joined in the Fox soiree.

That’s quite the centrepiece.

BAFTA AND BBCAMERICA TEA PARTY

While this afternoon party may have been the day before the Emmys, it certainly brought out a huge swag of UK celebrities. Mr Carson, aka Jim Carter from Downton Abbey, admitted we’ll all need many tissues when the final episode of the long running series airs.

I loved bumping into Mrs Patmore, played by the brilliant Lesley Nicole, who has made a permanent move to Los Angeles and is hoping that more roles for “women of a certain age” come her way.

And I had a “stop my beating heart moment” when I was introduced to actor Ed Westwick, best known for his role as Chuck Bass on the drama series Gossip Girl. I just couldn’t bring myself to ask for a selfie ... I mean, that would’ve been too embarrassing, right?

Anyway, as the Emmys weekend drew to a close, no doubt the after, after, afterparties were happening somewhere in LA, albeit much smaller than the Governors Ball. But one thing is for sure: when LA has an awards night, it knows how to host mega parties.

INSIDE THE 2015 EMMYS AFTERPARTIES

* Melissa Hoyer was a guest of Cheryl Cecchetto, Qantas and Beverly Hills.

Originally published as Inside the Emmys afterparties