{alltv} TV stars party ahead of today's Daytime Emmy Awards

Sunday, June 19, 2011

{alltv} TV stars party ahead of today's Daytime Emmy Awards

Today's the big day for soap opera and gameshow fans with the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Las Vegas Hilton, but last night it was time for the, ahem, bold and the beautiful and the young and the restless to party.

The red carpet at the new Club Nikki and Nikki Beach at the Tropicana was ablaze with actors and actresses who deal with daily trials and tribulations of broken romances -- well, at least in the scripts, as handsome hunks, vivacious vixens, heroes and heroines and victors and villains of daytime. Nikki was packed to the Emmy rafters for the Official Innovative Artists Daytime Emmys Pre-Party, with many stars saying that the Tropicana has really changed.

The Tropicana turnout included soap stars Melissa Claire Egan, Billy Miller, Michael Park, Jason Thompson, Molly Burnett, Adrienne Frantz, Andrea Bogart, Brandon Barash, Camila Banus, Chrishell Stause, Francisco San Martin, Freddie Smith, Natalie Hall, Shenaz Treasury and Teri Conn.

Last night was a time for fun and relaxation before today's glitz and glamour as Oprah Winfrey, Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek are among those honored on the CBS telecast. Celine Dion, Marie Osmond, Gladys Knight and cast members of Viva Elvis at Aria are some of the Strip headliners who will be featured on the awards telecast hosted by Las Vegas favorite Wayne Brady. A list of the stars and presenters was posted as part of the Weekend Celebrity Preview on Friday.

Yesterday, screen queen Susan Lucci, forever Erica Kane on All My Children, had a book signing, which Senior Editor John Katsilometes attended. Today, Erica will be saluted during the show opening with a tribute to her many, many marriages (a dozen, perhaps?), and it's been enhanced with Las Vegas' Chapel of Dreams to give it true Las Vegas flair. A Daytime Emmys pre-party also was held at Eva Longoria's Eve at Crystals in MGM's CityCenter last night.

John will be live blogging from the Hilton red carpet and telecast for full coverage, and we'll have a wrap-up tomorrow. Meantime, enjoy last night's festivities at the Tropicana in a photo gallery shot by Tom Donoghue.