LOS ANGELES - The backstage trophy table was the place to be for serious celebrity watching at Sunday's 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards — never mind that it was in the basement of a parking garage.


At one point Conan O'Brien was chatting on his cell phone as Amy Poehler and her husband, Will Arnett, walked by on their way to the elevator that would take them to the press tent. Kiefer Sutherland strolled by the trophy table just ahead of Tom Selleck. Christian Slater paused to wave to a group of firefighters working the awards show.

Also walking by the table that contained some five dozen Emmy statuettes was Lily Tomlin, who joked, "I like these three."

Emmy winner Jeremy Piven, best supporting actor in a comedy series, surveyed the table and joked, "It looks like Hanukkah!"

The Emmy each winner carries off stage is just a prop. Winners give it back and head to the table in the parking garage adjacent to the Nokia Theatre to collect the real one.

As winners were collecting their Emmys, eight limo drivers were seated nearby, embroiled in an intense poker game. The drivers were paying the celebrities absolutely no heed.

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