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66th Emmy Awards: What to know before Monday's show

 
Host Seth Meyers speaks at the Television Academy's 66th Primetime Emmy Awards Press Preview Day.
Host Seth Meyers speaks at the Television Academy's 66th Primetime Emmy Awards Press Preview Day.
Published Aug. 22, 2014

The Emmys are this weekend. (GET OUR PREDICTIONS HERE.) But before you get too excited about curling up on the couch with a bottle of wine and an arsenal of judgy fashion comments, you should know one thing: the show airs on a weekday this year.

For the first time in almost four decades, the Emmy Awards will be broadcast on Monday, not a lazy, loungy Sunday evening like we're used to. You might have to hustle home from work to catch any red carpet action. Here's your guide to preparing for the show:

Why is it on Monday?

The 66th annual awards ceremony is being held on a different night for a couple reasons. First, NBC is airing the show this year, and they always move it up about a month to late August, instead of September (last year it aired on Sept. 22).

Okay, so why Monday? According to Deadline, NBC said they moved the show to avoid conflict with the NFL preseason. But maybe it was for another reason: MTV's Video Music Awards are airing Sunday, with performances from Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus.

Host

Almost exactly half a year into his stint as host of NBC's Late Night, Seth Meyers comes out from behind the desk to host this year's Emmys. He's in good company; other Saturday Night Live alums who went on to host awards shows include Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and they all knocked it out of the park. Will Meyers, a former Weekend Update anchor who's turned Late Night into a far more low-key affair than Fallon's version, do the same?

Other presenters to keep an eye out for: Stephen Colbert, Bryan Cranston, Fallon, Gwen Stefani, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Woody Harrelson, Julianna Margulies, Matthew McConaughey, Jim Parsons, Poehler, Julia Roberts and Kerry Washington.

Robin Williams tribute

Just go ahead and grab the tissues now. Billy Crystal, a longtime friend and colleague of Robin Williams, will pay tribute to the late actor during Monday's show. Crystal worked with Williams on the Comic Relief telethons for HBO during the '80s and '90s, hosting eight versions along with Whoopi Goldberg. Williams' breakout role was on television in the '70s as an alien named Mork, which he played first on Happy Days and later on Mork & Mindy. Sara Bareilles will perform during the In Memoriam segment.

Who will win?

Will True Detective beat Breaking Bad? Can Modern Family nab a record-breaking fifth Outstanding Comedy statue? Click here for our predictions in the major Emmy categories.