2012 Emmys Night: 10 Things You Gotta Know

2012 Emmys Night: 10 Things You Gotta Know

LOS ANGELES, California -- Tonight, TV is celebrating, well, TV. And we'll definitely be tuning in, reports John Boone of Eonline.

“And we assume you will too, which is why, with hours to go until the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (which starts at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT) we've compiled a list of everything you need to know before the festivities kick off.

Oh, and after you're prepped, tune in to our Live From the Red Carpet coverage (at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on E!) as well as logging on to our official Livestream, hosted by Alicia Quarles and our very own TV guru, Kristin Dos Santos.”

But back to the essentials:

Make sure you brush up on the complete list of nominations before the show starts!

1. The Red Carpet Return of Giuliana Rancic: After the party is the after party (and the E! team will be covering all of 'em, don't fret)…but before the Emmys show kicks off, the legendary red carpet will roll out and our own Ryan Seacrest (who's competing for Best Reality Host) and Giuliana Rancic will man their mics, marking G's long anticipated return. Good luck, girl!

2. No Drama in the Dramatic Acting Race: Need a couple no-brainers to ease your way in to the night? Then rest assured knowing that Claire Danes and Bryan Cranston will be taking home trophies for their work on Homeland and Breaking Bad, respectively. Wins would tie Cranston for most wins ever in Best Actor races and officially confirm that Danes was the breakout star of last season.

3. A Little Less Glee to Go Around: While some familiar faces from the choir room will surely pop up (as creator Ryan Murphy will be celebratring his highly nominated series American Horror Story), the Emmys will be missing one Gleek: Lea Michele. Instead, Rachel Berry herself (who handled her acting snub with grace) will apparently be across the country in New York, working.

Relive some of the most memorable notable quotables ever said at the Emmys!

4. Zooey Deschanel Could Win…Best Dressed: As much as we love Jess and all her adorkableness on our favorite Fox comedy, New Girl, we have a feeling the "It Girl" of the season won't lock that Best Comedy Actress award (that honor will probably go to Julia Louis-Dreyfus). But, no tears, Ms. D., as we're sure you'll earn a spot at the top of the Best Dressed list.

5. New Girl Will Get GOOP-ified: And Zooey might have some company at the top of the Best Dressed list, though of the male variety: Costar Max Greenfield, who will both compete in the Supporting Comedy Actor and cover the event for pal Gwyneth Paltrow's website. Just don't expect Zooey and Max to have a fashion feud, as he told us, "We're coordinating. We want to make sure we don't wear the same outfit!"

6. Mad Men Might Get Beat by Meth: The critical AMC darling might take home its fifth Best Drama Series win this year. In fact, your bookie would likely tell you to bet that way. But wait! Don Draper (Jon Hamm) could be overshadowed by a little drug dealer named Walter White (that'd be Cranston). And you better believe we'll be glued to the screen when that envelope opens.

The competition will be fierce on the red carpet—look back at the best of the best!

7. Nothing New About Modern Family's Luck: Might ABC's hit series complete the hat trick of three consecutive years of Best Comedy wins? Probably. In fact, it's nearly inevitable. And while we obviously love the Pritchett-Dunphy gang, we'd consider it a complete shock (in the best possible way) if the win went to the more controversial but equally deserving Girls.

8. Three Cheers for the Epically Snubbed: We're still kind of bummed (and by "kind of" we mean really, really, really—snot on our faces, mascara running everywhere, ugly-Claire Danes-crying—devastated) that Parks and Recreation was snubbed for Best Comedy Series. But Amy Poehler will have a shot at the Best Comedy Actress Category, and we're sure that leaves Pawnee proud.

9. In Memoriam and Still In the Competition: It'll be a bittersweet night for Desperate Housewives fans, what with the late, great Kathryn Joosten earning a posthumous nom in the Best Supporting Actress Comedy race for her turn as neighborhood busybody Mrs. McCluskey. And whether she wins or loses, she will certainly be honored.

10. The Host with the Most? We'll See: But we're calling it: Sure, other hosts have done their best in the past, but Jimmy Kimmel—who will run the show tonight—will be a standout. Now don't let us down, Kimmel!

Get a good look at this year's most notable nominees before they hit the carpet!