Creative Arts Emmys distribute statues ahead of main event

Neil Jimenez

The 74th annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards kicked off on Sept. 3 and 4 at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater.

The event set the stage for the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 12, the ceremony was hosted by RuPaul, W. Kamau Bell, Colman Domingo, Marcia Gay Harden, Randy Rainbow and Judd Apatow.

The awards would have amazing highs, such as a former U.S. President visiting as four artists became a Tony away from EGOT status.

After a week of editing by FXX, the Creative Arts Emmys aired on television Sept. 10, and will be available to stream on Hulu from Sept. 11-27. On the other hand, the Primetime Emmy Ceremony, hosted by Kenan Thompson, broadcasted live on Sept. 12.

Though not as publicized as the Primetime Emmys, the Creative Arts Emmys honors those whose contributions to the entertainment industry do not fall under the most popular categories.

From outstanding contemporary hairstyling to most outstanding commercial, and over 400,000 awards to be given out, the Creative Arts Emmys provides a fascinatingly holistic view of all the artistic and technical talent that goes into modern television.

This year, musicians Adele, Eminem and former Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr saw wins for their respective performances in “Adele: One Night Only,” at the Pepsi Superbowl LVI halftime show and “The Beatles: Get Back” docuseries. This put each of them a Tony away from achieving EGOT status, a title given to individuals who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award.

Former President Barack Obama came half-way to achieving EGOT status, winning an Emmy for outstanding narrator for Netflix’s “Our Great National Parks”, becoming the first U.S. president to win a competitive Emmy.

Ru-Paul stretched his Emmy streak as the only  Black artist to win 12 Emmys, with this one being the seventh consecutive win for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” saw another win for outstanding production design for a variety, reality or competition series and was nominated for nine other CAEs.

Meanwhile, the announcement of Chadwick Boseman’s win for outstanding character voice-over performance for his final performance as T’Challa in Marvel Studios’ “What If?” brought a bittersweet moment of repose to the fanfare.

Other big wins include five awards given to “Euphoria” and “Stranger Things” and four given to “Squid Game.”   These shows are also slated as nominees for best drama series for the Primetime Emmys. Also nominated are “Severance,” which won two awards, “Succession,” which also won two, “Better Call Saul, “Ozark” and “Yellowjackets.” For the entire list of winners and nominees, reference Entertainment Weekly.