(CNN)The red carpet at the 68th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday turned out to be red hot.
Literally.
<
ul class=”cn” cn-list-hierarchical-xs cn–idx-4 cn-zoneadcontainer”>
Temperatures soared outside of the Microsoft Theater as the stars arrived for the ceremony.
“I can’t wait to get into the air conditioning,” said “Quantico” star Priyanka Chopra during the ABC red carpet special.
“The Bachelor”/”Bachelorette” host Chris Harrison was one of the hosts of the red carpet special. That put him face to face with Constance Zimmer, one of the stars of the series “UnREAL” which is loosely based on Harrison’s dating reality show.
Turns out the portrayal of the dating show host on”UnREAL” hits a little too close to home for Harrison.
“It’s so spot on that he is swarmy and a dufus that it makes me angry,” he jokingly told Zimmer.
It’s the TV industry’s biggest night and viewers will be watching closely to see if “Game of Thrones” and the miniseries “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” sweep the show after scoring 23 and 22 Emmy nominations respectively.
But competition is not the only thing to look out for.
There will also be red carpet fashion (will there be a color theme this year?) and host Jimmy Kimmel’s performance to critique.
Given the ongoing and contentious presidential campaign, Kimmel will likely bring some political humor to the stage. (Go ahead and plan on a drinking game based on how many times Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are mentioned.)
Watch for newly single nominee Tom Hiddleston. The actor and former beau of pop star Taylor Swift is up for an Emmy for his role in “The Night Manager.” Hiddleston will probably have a hard time getting inside the Microsoft Theater without being asked about his ex — assuming he doesn’t simply bypass the carpet all together.
There is also potential for history to be made Sunday night.
Tracee Ellis Ross is the first black woman in 30 years to receive an Emmy nomination for outstanding leading actress in a comedy series. Ross plays Dr. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson on the ABC sitcom “Black-ish.”
Her nod comes at a time when TV is being hailed for improved inclusivity — compared to the film industry — in both its recognition and hiring of minorities.
About 25% of this year’s Emmy nominations in the acting categories went to people of color.
“Hollywood is doing good, but I’ll tell you women of color are doing even better,” nominee Viola Davis said on the red carpet. “We’ve gotten to the point where women are saying ‘You know what, I’m going to ask for what I want’ and I love it. A closed mouth don’t get fed.”
ABC will broadcast the Emmy Awards live starting at 8 p.m. EST.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/18/entertainment/emmy-awards-2016/index.html