Style and glamour at Emmys

The Desperate Housewive of Wisteria Lane added some sparkle to the Emmy Awards, with Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher and Nicollette Sheridan stealing the show in stunning floor-length gowns.

Three of the Desperate Housewives stars went head to head in the best actress in a comedy category, with the award eventually going to an emotional Huffman.

Lost picked up two gongs, including best drama.

The best director award went to Lost creator – and Mission Impossible 3 director – JJ Abrams, for the pilot of the show which, at €4.4m was the most expensive in history.

The glossy drama about a group of plane crash survivors attracts record ratings whereever it launches.

Abrams beat Quentin Tarantino, who was nominated for the nailbiting two hour CSI season finale.

Warm Springs, starring British thespian Kenneth Branagh, won the most outstanding made-for-TV movie, while co-star Jane Alexander picked up best supporting actress.

The film, co-starring Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon, documented the life of former US President Franklin D Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor.

Australian actor Geoffrey Rush won the best lead actor in a movie or mini-series award for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, a co-production between the BBC and US network HBO.

The film was among the biggest winners of the night, also picking up the bets writing and directing gongs.

Director Stephen Hopkins was one of several winners who paid tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Many of the assembled stars wore a large white Magnolia, the state flower of both Louisiana and Mississippi, as a symbol of remembrance.

Jon Stewart, who hosts satirical news programme The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, took the opportunity to lambast the US Government’s widely criticised response to the disaster.

Despite the occasional political jibe, host Ellen DeGeneres, dressed all in black, kept the mood light.

“Come on, if you don’t win tonight it doesn’t mean you’re not a good person, it just means you’re not a good actor,” she told the star-studded audience at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Hugh Laurie joined actor Zach Braff to present the best supporting actress award to Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother Blythe Danner for her role in US drama Huff.

The evening was punctuated with performances by various stars singing classic television theme tunes.

Donald Trump donned dungarees and a cowboy hat to perform the Greenacres theme alongside Will & Grace actress Megan Mullally.

Singer Macy Gray teamed up with CSI actor Gary Dourdan to perform Moving on Up, the theme to The Jeffersons.

Everybody Loves Raymond, which has wrapped up after nine seasons, won a sentimental nod for best comedy.

Patricia Arquette won best lead actress in a drama for her role in Medium, and Tony Shalhoub beat off stiff competition to win best actor in a comedy for his portrayal of an obsessive compulsive police detective in Monk.

The three-hour ceremony included tributes to the late talk show host Johnny Carson and legendary US news anchor Peter Jennings.