Magic Awards: Neil Patrick Harris hosts; Jeff Probst catches collapsing woman on red carpet

If you were inside the 41st Annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards at the Avalon Theatre in Hollywood last night, then you enjoyed a very entertaining show held together wonderfully by host with the most Neil Patrick Harris. Top magicians performed (I don’t know how they do it!) and celebrity presenters included Zachary Quinto (Heroes), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Jeff Probst (Survivor) and the one and only Florence Henderson. Then there was the always hilarious Bruce Vilanch sitting in a balcony offering occasional commentary.

The highlight for me was a performance by the world’s most flexible man, Daniel Browning Smith that was just astonishing. This guy was like Gumby! It was as if he had no bones!

Joked the famously plus-sized (but losing weight!) Vilanch: “I’m just thrilled that somebody’s doing my old act.”

Host Neil said of the flexible man: “That was so amazing and bizarre to watch but for me, it was twice as much fun for me to watch you all watch the show.”

But if you read coverage of the event today, all you probably read about was the camerawoman who collapsed on the red carpet into the arms of Jeff Probst! Yes, Jeff is a very attractive man (I’ve had a crush on him for years!) but it that wasn’t why the woman went into a seizure: low blood sugar was.

I was standing nearby and felt terrible for her but I have to say, Jeff was so sweet and did not leave her side until paramedics arrived. I found out today that her name is Cheryl Riley and that she is doing fine.  Event spokesman Harlan Boll said:. “The paramedics said her blood pressure was low and that she was probably overly dehydrated, but that her vital signs were all good,” the rep, Harlan Boll, tells us.  “She made it home safely, and is going to the doctor tomorrow just to be sure all is well. As you know, Jeff Probst caught her as she fell. It’s a good thing he is fast on his feet or she could have hit her head and things would have been worse.”

Okay, back to the show.

I chatted up various folks on the red carpet right up until show time but just as Neil Patrick Harris got to me, he had to rush in so he could only say: “I’m so sorry!” I hold no grudges. I’ll tell you what was really fun: talking with Erin Murphy who played Tabatha Stephens on Bewitched! She looks fabulous and I’m going to hold that chat for later this week.

Hendricks and her fiancee, Geoffrey Arend of TNT’s Trust Me, were very friendly and I wondered what it was like “to be in a two-series relationship.”

Christina: “And two advertising shows! (laughs). It’s been sort of a roller coaster with both of our shows on at the same time and lots of events. It’s been really fun and we’ve gotten to meet a lot of people who we’ve respected for a long time at award shows and stuff.”

Geoffrey: “It’s fantastic. I look at some of the clothes the guys get to wear on her show and I think it’d be really nice to be in a suit. I’m usually in flannels or thermols and stuff like that.”

After saying goodbye to that dazzling pair, I found myself standing next to the adorable David Burtka, boyfriend of Neil Patrick Harris. We last chatted on the Emmy red carpet and back then, I was a little shaken because I had just seen Mary Tyler Moore take a hard fall on her way up the stairs to The Insider booth.  This time, I informed David that a camerawoman had fainted and been saved by Jeff Probst!

“Get her some orange juice, it’s blood sugar,” Bruce Vilanch said to the group huddled around the woman, now lying down on the red carpet momentarily bringing things to a halt. She was taken away by paramedics then Neil made his appearance and the flashes were going off every which way. David was gone buy now, personally escorting Christina and Jeffrey into the theater dressing room.

Bruce and I then had a little chat: “Somebody dropped dead while we were standing there,” he deadpanned.

Then I spoke with superhero Probst himself who sas calm and collected throughout: “I’m a fan of magic,” he said, explaining why he agreed to be a presenter. “I just love the art and I love being amazed by how they do it. And I’m a friend of Neil’s who is hosting.”

I asked how things were going on Survivor and Jeff has an answer that would make network PR folks real happy: “We’re in our 18th season (there are two seasons per year) and we’re still going really strong. A little-known stat about Survivor is that we haven’t lost a regularly scheduled Thursday night at 8 since 2003. That’s a long run.”

I wondered how Jeff, who won the first Emmy for reality show hoat,  stays so unflappable all the time. He said: “I’ve got nothing at stake. They’re playing for $1 million, I’m just hosting so I can screw up and nothing comes of it. I can push their buttons all the time and they can’t really push mine because I don’t have anything on the line.”

Neil Patrick Harris really should be the next Emmys host so good is he as an emcee. It’s like he was born to do it – great wit and timing and loads of charm. Plus, he looks great in a tux! I really enjoyed his banter with Bruce Vilanch who sat in a balcony and every now and then, the spotlight w0uld shine and he would remark on the proceedings.

“He’s sort of Stadler and Waldorf all rolled into one,” Neil said of Vilanch.

“Yeah,” Bruce agreed. “I do kind of look like a Muppet.”