Dark is the new black at the Emmys

Hollywood's in a dark mood, if the dresses on the red carpet at Sunday night's 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are any indication. The Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles was packed with women (and men) glammed up in navy, purple and not-so-basic black.

Leading the naval brigade: "Glee's" Lea Michele, in a ruffled stunner from Oscar de la Renta. She'd worn other colors at other awards shows, she said, and was looking for something new. "I was thinking, 'Oh, oh, I should do blue, and then when I saw this it was perfect," said Michele.

Her co-star, Jane Lynch, who got married earlier this summer, left her character's tracksuits at home and was one of the classiest looks on the red carpet, in a deep purple gown by Ali Rahimi with a delicate crystal clasp on the shoulder.

Others doing up the dark: Padma Lakshmi (in Carolina Herrera's navy strapless chiffon), Jane Krakowski (in custom-made Escada), Eva Longoria Parker (in noir Robert Rodriguez), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Narciso Rodriguez), Edie Falco (Bottega Veneta) and the queen of the D-List, comedian Kathy Griffin (looking rather A-Listy and skinnyyyy - is she coming out with a diet book or something? - in a sleek black Oscar de la Renta).

As for the men, salutes go out to host Jimmy Fallon and "House" star Hugh Laurie - their navy tuxes (Fallon's was by Tom Ford) gave them just a subtle pop in a sea of standard black formalwear.

Of course, there were some brighter shades worth shouting about - and other looks that just had us shouting. So here they are - our nominations for some additional eye-catchers of the red carpet:

Biggest surprise: Tina Fey, who has had so many red-carpet wrongs to her roster that we've wondered if it was intentional. But last night she was serene and classy in an embroidered, chic Oscar de la Renta.

Best pop of color: We're liking Kyra Sedgwick's choice (berry, by Monique Lhuillier) and "Glee's" Kevin McHale, going bold with a yellowy-gold bow-tie (it worked).

Best Michael Jackson homage: Anna Paquin. How else to explain the "True Blood" newlywed's gold epaulet get-up and oddly hiked skirt? (It was by Alexander McQueen.)

Worst hair: A tough category. There's Kelly Osbourne, who looked like someone drove her to the Emmys in a convertible (then stole all her combs). Claire Danes, impersonating a PTA mom. And what happened to January Jones? The scared-straight 'do is a crime on someone as beautiful as she is.