Scoops From The EMMY's

18 September 2007

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Rehearsal Scoop! Teary Gandolfini & Tardy Kanye

James Gandolfini got choked up, and Kanye West finally showed up! That's the scoop from yesterday’s Emmy rehearsals at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium. I hear that Gandolfini showed his softer side during a run-through of the Sopranos tribute. Not only will the stars of Broadway’s Franki Valli and the Four Seasons musical Jersey Boys sing before about two dozen or so castmembers of HBO’s mobster hit appear onstage but clips from the series will run on giant monitors."The Sopranos rehearsal was so cool," an onlooker tells me. "Gandolfini teared up when watching the footage behind them."While no one was crying about Kanye, producers, I'm told, were not too pleased with the hip-hop star yesterday.Why? Because he was supposed to be at the Shrine for a meeting with them at 6:15 p.m., followed by a rehearsal at 7 of the comedy skit in which he is taking part with Wayne Brady and The Office’s Rainn Wilson.West was almost two hours late, according to an insider. "Wayne and Rainn were there and started rehearsing without him," the insider says.

Party Scoopage: Pre-Emmys Goings-On!

Heidi Klum is counting her babes, Elizabeth Perkins is hangin’ with her dogs—and Rex Lee is takin' another shot at Isaiah Washington. Yes, it's pre-Emmy party scoop.

I caught up with the always stunning Klum at last night’s Entertainment Weekly bash in Hollywood. She was wearing a formfitting Dolce & Gabbana silk gown with crystal detailing. To think the Project Runway host has given birth to three babies!

"I have four babies," she said.

Was Klum giving me pregnancy scoop? Nah.

She pointed to her hubby, musician Seal, who was snapping pics of his wife a few feet away while ordering a drink at a bar. "He’s my fourth," Klum cracked.

The EW party was spread over two adjoining Hollywood nightclubs, Opera and Crimson. The celeb turnout was impressive, with the likes of America Ferrera, Vanessa Williams, Robert Duvall, Michael Urie, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Coolidge, T.R. Knight, Wentworth Miller, John Stamos, new Dancing with the Stars contestant Jane Seymour, Sex and the City's Kyle MacLachlan, an unshaven Jeremy Piven and Eric "McSteamy" Dane and his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, in attendance.

Brothers & Sisters star Dave Annable was showing off some dance moves to a couple of friends at one of the bars, as Nelly Furtado's hit "Maneater" was blasting throughout Opera.

I was introduced to Entourage assistant Rex Lee in the party's LG-sponsored outdoor lounge. The always outspoken Lee thanked me for once including his not so kind words about Isaiah in my column when the F-word debacle first made headlines. "And you know what?" Lee said. "I met him after you printed that, and he really is an asshole. He's not friendly at all."

I have to give a special shout-out to Albert Reed, who was also at the bash. You"ll be seeing a lot more of this fella, because the former Abercrombie & Fitch model is a contestant on the new season of Dancing with the Stars. And you’ll be hearing more about him from me tomorrow, when I give you the down-low on the chat we had the other day at GBK Productions' Emmy Suite at the Hollywood Roosevelt.

Rumer Willis hit EW, and lemme tell ya, she’s looking more fabulously glam than ever. And for good reason. I'm told she hit L.A.'s Privé salon earlier in the day for a haircut by owner Laurent D, along with a manicure and pedicure. Privé’s pre-Emmy day, called the Ungifting Suite, benefited Oxfam.

How did Monk star and Emmy nominee Tony Shalhoub spend some of his pre-Emmy time? One of my spies spotted the funnyman actor hiking Bronson Canyon in L.A.'s Griffith Park on Saturday afternoon.The night before, at the Gersh Agency's private dinner at the Terrace at Jeff Klein's Sunset Tower Hotel, Weeds star and Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominee Elizabeth Perkins revealed her prep plans for the awards ceremony. And of course she'll have her glam squad: "I’m going to be hanging out with my dogs," she told Planet Gossip's Matt Donnelly. "We have three mutts."

And guess who Perkins wants to see guest star on her marijuana-filled Showtime series? "I’d love to have Tom Waits on the show," she said.

Celebrity hair guru Frederic Fekkai, who cohosted the Gersh dinner, said his team will be styling Mary-Louise Parker and Katherine Heigl for the big night. But he’s also dying to get his scissors on Angelina Jolie. "I love her hair long," Fekkai said. "But I think just to play with it, to play and give it more the texture."

Debra Messing, a nominee for her starring role in The Starter Wife, actually wore one of her show's dresses to the party. "I thought it was fitting," Messing told reporters. "I think it’s antique. I wore it on the beach...It’s a Starter Wife weekend, and I heard it was very hot in Los Angeles!"

The former Will & Grace star has been in Boston lately filming the contemporary adaptation of the campy classic The Women with Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes and Candice Bergen.

It's a Trend! Christina's Also Late, Late, Late

It's 2:13 p.m. I'm at the Shrine, one of many E! Online staffers here today. Wondering why black-tie events in L.A. always take place on the hottest days? Tie's already loosened, and the ceremony's still hours away!

Now, some scoop.

Let's hope the awards go off better than a couple of the rehearsals went down this weekend. As I reported earlier, Kanye West was almost two hours late for his run-through yesterday with Wayne Brady and Rainn Wilson for their musical spoof of reality competition shows.

Then this morning, the day of the big show, Christina Aguilera was 30 minutes late for her rehearsal with Tony Bennett of their "Steppin' Out with My Baby" duet. Bennett finally started without her.

Bennett and Aguilera's rehearsal yesterday went much more smoothly, I'm told. "It was really good," a source reports. "Maybe Christina didn't think they needed to rehearse as much today."

Christina Hides Her Surprise

Miss Aguilera hasn't yet confirmed her pregnancy, and she certainly wasn't showing it off at rehearsals yesterday with Tony Bennett.

I'm told the mama-to-be wore a top and a skirt that hid her baby bump. "It was yellow and white and really flowy," an onlooker reports. "It was sorta bohemian."

Hope she's extra careful onstage. I hear at one point during the performance she walks up some stairs to stand on top of a piano.

Also: Bennett's work won't end tonight with their duet. I just heard the legendary crooner is the surprise performer at the Governor's Ball!

A Hero Has Car Trouble! Barely Makes Show!

Greg Grunberg could have used some superpowers to get to the Emmys. The chauffeured car that the Heroes star was riding in got a flat tire on its way to the Shrine.

The blowout happened on the 405. Another car was quickly called for, but by the time Greg got near the scene, the red carpet was close to closing down.

He jumped onto a golf cart to try to do at least a smidgen of the red carpet. He made it just in time for a few photos.

Then Grunberg rushed into the theater, his Heroes castmates applauding as he made it into his seat just in time for the start of the show.

'E'

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