Sunday, September 20, 2015
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES
Andy Samberg hopes to roll some silliness into the Emmys ceremony with a little help from his funny friends.
After ceremoniously unraveling the red carpet outside the Microsoft Theater, the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star said last week he’s angling to inject some goofiness into tonight’s celebration with assistance from the jokesters behind the IFC show and podcast “Comedy Bang! Bang!”
“We’ve got a silly crew,” said Samberg. “I think we’re going to find a good balance. You don’t want it to be too silly or too meta to the point where it feels like we’re not taking the show seriously.”
The first-time Emmys host said he’ll also rely on nominated sketch comedy pals in the crowd, such as Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, to keep the three-hour extravaganza moving along.
“I know it’ll be a funny show,” said the “Saturday Night Live” alum. “We have really funny presenters this year. The deck is very stacked with comedy in the room, a lot of which is due to them including the sketch comedy category in the primetime show this year, which is great.”
The scheduled presenters at the 67th annual Emmys include Jimmy Fallon, LL Cool J, Will Forte, Terrence Howard and Lady Gaga.
Bruce Rosenblum, chairman and CEO of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, said Samberg has free reign as Emmys host.
“The reason he was selected was to be innovative, fresh and funny,” said Rosenblum. “We’re looking forward to that.”
Inside the theater, place cards positioned in seats in front of a cube-covered stage offered a glimpse of the evening’s seating arrangements. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey, Kerry Washington, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are among the celebs with front row spots.