Family business at Emmy awards

Taking a plus one, be it a spouse or a partner, to an awards ceremony is the norm.

At the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards last Sunday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, family members were the popular arm accessories, with celebrities showing off their offspring.

For Will Ferrell, his little guests, who accompanied him on stage, stole his thunder.

The shabbily-dressed US actor-comedian presented the Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series awards with his sons Magnus, 9, Mattias, 6, and Axel, 3, in tow.

Ferrell, 46, joked that he was asked to fill in for original presenters Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith at the last minute, and did not have time to find child care. "We had a soccer game, there was a neighbour's birthday party, a nut allergy, I didn't have time to do my hair," said Ferrell, before warning his young brood not to "blow it" for him.

The other celebrity offspring who grabbed the limelight was Ireland Baldwin, the 17-year-old model daughter of US actor Alec Baldwin and his ex-wife US actress Kim Basinger.

The statuesque blonde rocked the red carpet, posing for photographers next to her famous daddy, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in 30 Rock.

Baldwin took her as his date for the evening, leaving his wife Hilaria Thomas at home to take care of their new baby.

Excited

Ireland, fresh off Milan Fashion Week, where she dined with Vogue editor Anna Wintour and partied with DSquared2's design duo Dean and Dan Caten, was clearly excited about their big night out, taking photos with celebrities and posting them on her Instagram account.

Another debutante was 22-year-old Dylan - daughter of divorced US actors Robin Wright and Sean Penn - who attended alongside brother Hopper, 20.

Wright, 47, who was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, later partied with her toy boy beau, actor Ben Foster, at the post-Emmy Governors Ball.

Dylan, who inherited her mother's good looks, looked like a million bucks, and what better way for the budding model to make an impact than in a traffic-stopping red gown.

Michael Douglas may not have had the fortune of having his family on hand to celebrate his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie win for Behind The Candelabra, but his eldest son Cameron, 35, was clearly on his mind the whole night.

The 68-year-old US actor gave a nod in his acceptance speech to his incarcerated offspring who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for drug charges.

"I'm hoping I'll be able to... they'll allow me to see him soon," Douglas said on stage about Cameron, who's from his first marriage to Diandra Luker.

He later explained backstage how disappointed he was with the American justice system.

"He's spent almost two years in solitary confinement and right now I'm being told that I cannot see him for two years," he lamented.

"It's been over a year now. And I'm questioning the system. Obviously at first, I was certainly disappointed in my son. But I've reached a point now where I'm very disappointed with the system."

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