Neil Patrick Harris Talks Emmy Awards, Singing And 'MOTHER' To CNN

Neil Patrick Harris will host the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS on September 20th. He will also serve as a producer for the night. The talented actor spoke to CNN about his upcoming Emmy hosting gig!

In this excerpt Harris discusses how his singing skills will figure into the evening:

KF: Now at the Tony Awards, you sang a, may I say, legendary closing number. Will you be singing at the Emmys, or is dancing more the focus?

NPH: I suspect you won't see me dancing very much. That's not my forte. But yeah, I might throw some sort of singing into it. I haven't quite decided. I sort of feel like the Emmys are so classy and glamorous and black tie, the host really needs to respect his job title. I think too much "Look at me! Look at me!" as the host of a show that big is counterproductive. So long as I make you feel confident that you're in good hands with me as the host, then it's my real responsibility to introduce you to a lot of other people and elements -- other presenters who are then going to talk to you or other introductions of next sections. That's my role. It's not really to be a song-and-dance man.

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In addition to his acclaimed hosting of the Tonys, Harris has done awards show triple duty so far this year as host of the TV Land Awards and the nontelevised Writers Guild Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Neil Patrick Harris will be a guest judge on Fox's AMERICAN IDOL this season. The "How I Met Your Mother" star joined the judges table for the Dallas auditions. The ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL will premiere on Fox in January 2010.

Harris will also be appearing in two upcoming films; "Beastly" and "The Best and the Brightest" according to the Hollywood Reporter. The two pictures will film this summer During the summer hiatus from his CBS comedy, "How I Met Your Mother".

Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, Neil Patrick Harris can currently be seen as Barney Stinson in the hit CBS comedy series, "How I Met Your Mother," a role which recently garnered him a 2009 Golden Globe nomination and two consecutive Emmy Award nominations. From his film debut opposite Whoopi Goldberg in Clara's Heart and his seminal role as the beloved titular character in "Doogie Howser, M.D.," to his recent turn in Joss Whedon's online sensation, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Harris has enjoyed a successful career spanning more than twenty years in the industry. Among his many theatrical credits include the dual role of The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald in the Tony Award-winning production of Assassins, as well as acclaimed performances in the Broadway productions of Cabaret and Proof.The Emmy® Awards recognize excellence within various areas of television and emerging media. The Emmy® Awards are administered by three sister organizations who focus on various sectors of television and broadband programming:

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (primetime)

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
(daytime, sports, news and documentary)

International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (international)

The awards are a symbol of peer recognition from over 15,000 Academy members.