After the 71st Emmy Awards telecast on Sunday concludes, TV’s brightest stars will make their way over to the L.A. Live Event Deck for a night of celebration, good eats and a number of freebies reserved for the best of the best at the Governors Ball – the official after-party for the medium's biggest night.
This year’s theme will be “Brilliance in Motion.” Cheryl Cecchetto, founder and president of Sequoia Productions, the company behind the ball for some 22 years, shared an exclusive sneak peek at what attendees can expect.
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“We did a computerized color analysis and they were purple, magenta, coral and red. And so we broke up the entire ball in these four different colors with the carpet and the linens and the florals,” Cecchetto told Fox News on Wednesday. “I mean, it's quite stunning, and the furniture also.”
Cecchetto said that after leaving the Microsoft Theater, where the ceremony will be held, guests will walk about 100 feet to the Event Deck, where they will be greeted by a social media area for snapping selfies. The next area is reserved for those arriving with their golden statues in tow; it's aptly dubbed the Winners Circle.
This is "where all the winners ... will get their Emmys personalized with their name and their title, which is quite magnificent, so they can walk around for the rest of the night with their Emmy, with their name,” Cecchetto added.
As for the evening’s entertainment? Guests will enjoy a performance by “The Four" Season 2 winner James Graham, while they nosh on food expertly crafted for this year’s celebration by award-winning chef and Patina catering founder Joachim Splichal for the 24thyear in a row.
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While past iterations of the ball have incorporated a sit-down-style dinner, this year Cecchetto said they’re switching it up, changing with the times.
As guests mingle, they’ll be treated to flawlessly decorated small plates and hors d’oeuvres featuring yellowtail sashimi, red-wine braised short rib, Maine lobster and crab cake sliders, among other items.
The vegan options will be ample, too. Servers will mix it up with plant-based Beyond Meat sliders topped with caramelized onions. Guests will also be able to select from chicken sliders in what Cecchetto called “an easy, approachable menu.”
Governors Ball guests will also be able to sip on 2015 Sterling Vineyards Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon as well as quench their thirst with scintillating sparkling wines Blanc de Blancs Ferrari Brut and Ferrari Brut Rose, courtesy of Ferrari Trento.
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And if guests prefer a social drink that’s shaken or stirred, the ball has them covered, too. The Television Academy’s official mixologist, Charles Jory, has created an epic drink program complete with theme-appropriate cocktails called the Marvelous Mule and the Dapper Dragon.
“Charles came up with amazing Ketel One award-winning cocktails that will be flowing throughout the evening and he not only came up with this delicious award-winning cocktails, he also has matched the decor with them,” said Cecchetto.
The dessert menu comes packed with miniature milkshakes, snickerdoodle blondies and butterscotch budino served warm, double chocolate s'more brownies, vegan raspberry chia seed tapioca and LINDOR truffles by Lindt, one of many official sponsors of the extravaganza.
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When asked about the industry’s fascination with the spectacle of the Governors Ball, Cecchetto cited the celebratory nature of the evening, adding that it's also a great time for those who rarely see each other to catch up and blow off steam.
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“The industry gets to mingle with the industry one time a year in a glorious, fabulous, beautiful environment with extraordinary music and sparkling wine and food -- and this year, inside-outside under the stars at L.A. Live.”