Neil Patrick Harris helped roll out the red carpet for this weekend's 65th annual Emmy Awards Wednesday, and the second-time host says he's just putting the finishing touches on his routines for the show's Sunday telecast.
"We've started to rehearse the choreography numbers, which apparently I have to dance in, and that's
freaking me out a little," Harris, 40, told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're also fine-tuning the lineup and shaving time off the show. It's running a little long, as we're trying to jam as much as we can into three hours. I hope the winners practice brevity! It will make my life so much easier."
Harris, whose show "How I Met Your Mother" is gearing up for its ninth and final season premiere next week, will emcee the Emmys for the second time Sunday night at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre, where TV's biggest stars will be celebrated.
"My plan is to not try to out-trick myself," Harris said. "I just want it to be a classy event; like two-fingers-of-neat-scotch, rather than Tiki-drink-with-an-umbrella classy. That's all any of us really wants out of the Emmy experience. And a few really nice gifting suites."
"Breaking Bad" and "Modern Family" are expected to clean house and take the top awards in categories like Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series.
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It will also be interesting to see how
Netflix's new web-only programming fares against cable's primetime offerings.
"House of Cards," a political drama starring Kevin Spacey, is up for nine awards, the Netflix-only season four of "Arrested Development" is up for three, and the horror-thriller "Hemlock Grove" is nominated for two.
"It certainly is a marker of the new era... It will send shock waves through the industry [if a Netflix series wins]," Tim Brooks, a former network executive and TV historian, told The Associated Press. "It makes it acceptable for A-list creatives to work for you. They like awards and the acclaim of their fellows."
The 65th annual Emmy Awards will air Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
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