Betty White, Neil Patrick Harris Win Early Emmys

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) Betty White and Neil Patrick Harris were both in the winners' circle at the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday night.

White won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her turn as "Saturday Night Live" host.

Special Section: Emmy Awards 2010
Pictures: Emmy Nominees 2010
Read More: Full List of Nominees

The honor came Saturday at the ceremony that is precursor to the main Aug. 29 Emmy show.

The trophy is the fifth prime-time Emmy received by the 88-year-old White, according to the TV academy. Her previous honors came for classic sitcoms including "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls."

So far this year, besides the "SNL" gig, White made a splash with the new TV Land sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," scored with a clever Super Bowl commercial and played a mad librarian on ABC's sitcom "The Middle."

She did not attend Saturday's ceremony, and presenters John Lithgow and Clyde Phillips accepted the award on her behalf. Other presenters included Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost") and Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men").

Neil Patrick Harris was a presenter and winner, taking the trophy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance as Bryan Ryan on "Glee." That wasn't the only award he received -- the Tony Awards show, which he hosted to critical acclaim, was recognized as best special class program.

Lithgow earned the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama series for his turn as a serial killer on "Dexter," but, according to People magazine, he made a gaffe during his awards speech and thanked rival network HBO instead of Showtime.

"I said HBO?" he told reporters after he accepted the award. "I'll never live that down."

Ann-Margret won the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series award for her role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

The top network winner was HBO with 17 trophies, followed by ABC with 15 and Fox with nine. CBS, NBC and PBS each claimed seven. "The Pacific," HBO's World War II miniseries, captured a leading seven creative arts awards.

Four trophies went to "Disney Prep & Landing," an animated Christmas special. Other big winners, with three trophies each, were freshman sitcom "Modern Family," ''Saturday Night Live" and "The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Concert."

Randy Newman won a trophy for original music and lyrics for "When I'm Gone," written for the departed series "Monk."

John Leverence, senior vice president of awards, received the Syd Cassyd Founders Award for his service to the TV academy.

The Creative Arts Emmys ceremony will air Friday on the E! netowrk. Next Sunday's 62nd annual prime-time Emmy ceremony, with Jimmy Fallon as host, will air live on NBC.

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Other winners at the creative arts Emmys, which honor technical and other achievements, included:

Host, reality or reality-competition series: Jeff Probst, "Survivor," CBS.

Voice-over performance: Anne Hathaway, "The Simpsons: Once Upon a Time in Springfield," Fox.

Reality program: "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," ABC.

Commercial: "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like: Old Spice Body Wash."

Animated Program: "Disney Prep & Landing," ABC.

Nonfiction series: "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," PBS.

Writing for a variety, music or comedy series: "The Colbert Report: 5076 (in Iraq)," Comedy Central.

Music composition for a series (original dramatic score): "24: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.," Fox.

Music composition for a miniseries, movie or special: "Temple Grandin," HBO.

Choreography: "So You Think You Can Dance," Fox.

Casting for a drama series: "Mad Men," AMC.

Casting for a miniseries, movie or a special: "The Pacific," HBO.

Casting for a comedy series: "Modern Family," ABC.

Costumes for a miniseries, movie or a special: "Return to Cranford (Masterpiece), Part 2," PBS.

Costumes for a variety-music program or a musical (more than one award possible): "Jimmy Kimmel Live: Episode 09-1266)," ABC; "So You Think You Can Dance (Top 12 perform)," Fox; "Titan Maximum: Went to Party, Got Crabs," Cartoon Network.

Costumes for a series: "The Tudors: Episode No. 408," Showtime.