Neil Patrick Harris

Surprises add ’Spice’ to Creative Emmys

Neil Patrick Harris earned his first-ever Emmy Awards at Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles for his guest spot on "Glee" and for hosting the 63rd Annual Tony Awards.

Harris’ Emmys are the first in his decades-long television career. He is also nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy series for "How I Met Your Mother." That award will be handed out at next Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards.

When accepting his guest actor prize Saturday, Harris congratulated fellow "Glee" nominee Mike O’Malley for his work on the show, and thanked his partner, David Burtka. For his Tony win, Harris said, "I want to thank Boomer from the Envelope who told me I was even eligible for this award!" The actor was referring to a gaffe discovered by the Los Angeles Times that excluded him from the original nominees’ list.

Betty White won the Emmy Award for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for her hosting turn on "Saturday Night Live." The veteran actress was not on hand to receive her trophy at the Nokia Theater event, but presenters John Lithgow and Clyde Phillips accepted the prize on her behalf.

White was the favorite to win the category and was competing against Kristin Chenoweth ("Glee"), Jane Lynch ("Two and a Half Men"), Christine Baranski ("The Big Bang Theory"), Elaine Stritch ("30 Rock") and Kathryn Joosten ("Desperate Housewives").

Another favorite, John Lithgow, took home the prize for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for his season-long arc on "Dexter." Lithgow, who accidentally thanked HBO instead of Showtime during his acceptance speech, had stacked the Emmy cards in his favor by submitting himself as a guest instead of a supporting player for the serial killer drama.

A Creative Arts Emmy also went to ad firm Weiden + Kennedy for its Old Spice commercial featuring Isaiah Mustafa, who told THR before the show, "This is my first awards show and I get to be nominated alongside Betty White!"

White’s Snickers ad was also in contention.

The day’s other winners included "Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution" as best reality series, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst as best reality show host, and Ann-Margret for her guest starring role on "Law and Order: SVU."