Stars to get tight security at Emmy Awards

Film and television stars will attend a low-key Emmy awards ceremony surrounded by high security on Sunday night in Los Angeles.

The public will be banned from watching the stars arrive and dinner suits and eye-catching dresses are banned in favour of business dress.

The awards had been due to take place last month but were postponed in the wake of the September 11 strikes.

The ceremony will take place under tight security, with the Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles being patrolled by detectives, and a special New York venue used for the first time.

A suite of television studios in New York will be linked by satellite to the main ceremony in Los Angeles, allowing celebrities still nervous of flying to stay on the ground.

In California, a secret entrance will be used for stars who do not want to be photographed arriving, while hundreds of people who had been invited have now been told they cannot come to the show.

Executive producer Don Mischer said: "It will be very different from what we had planned and what we've seen before.

"Linking Los Angeles and New York is very appropriate given what we've been going through in the last few weeks."

NYPD Blue star Dennis Franz will be featured in a tribute to New York's police officers and the cast of Third Watch, a drama about New York firefighters will address the September 11 attacks.

Mr Mischer said: "There are people we need to be honouring more than people who win Emmy awards."