How the Emmys opening number came together

For some (OK, me) the highlight of the Emmy awards broadcast was Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Lea Michele and a bunch of other actors — even the heavyset guy from "Lost" — running through the Nokia Theater in an homage to "Glee." Took some wrangling to pull it off once Fey got to town, as Michael Schneider explains at Variety.

The opening – which featured Emmy host Fallon and several “Glee” cast members (as well as Jon Hamm, Tina Fey, Betty White, Kate Gosselin, Joel McHale, Jorge Garcia and Nina Dobrev) – earned raves from crix.

But it wasn’t easy to pull off....

The first step: Getting the “Glee” stars – including Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith and Amber Riley – on board. After “Glee” exec producer Ryan Murphy signed off, the seed was planted.

Then, the tough part: Getting the rights to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” which Fallon wanted to sing as part of the opener.

Enter Emmycast exec producer Don Mischer, a vet of music shows. A few calls later, Springsteen had given his OK.

More at Variety; seems to be free tonight.