Ed Fuentes

The 2010 Emmy Governors Ball transforms the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center into a starry night.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Emmy award winners and runner-ups will again trek across Chick Hearn Court with 3,600 other celebrities and invitees on Sunday for the Governors Ball, held in the Los Angeles Convention Center's West Hall.

This year's official after-party transforms the 57,600-square-foot cavern into an intimate ballroom under the theme "Celestial Heaven."

Thousands of softball-sized mirror balls are dangling from the ceiling, orbiting a sun sculpture that wraps a six-foot diameter disco ball.

Throughout the ballroom, signs from the Zodiac will glow on towers. In the official program, Emmy nominees are listed by their astrological sign.

This year's Governors Ball menu is again prepared by Patina, now in its 15th year of serving guests at the event. Basic prep is taking place at Patina’s central catering kitchen, which recently relocated from Burbank to the AT&T Center in South Park. On Sunday, final cooking will take place on site at West Hall, where 71 tables are being readied to become kitchen stations.

Inside, guests will start with a crab salad with avocado mouse and salsa verde, then move to rack of lamb with grilled eggplant and rosemary juices. Duncan Hines, in its first year at the ball, will offer an assortment of celestial-themed small cakes, brownie, and brown butter toffee blondies.

Early-arriving attendees may prefer to go straight to the mixologist for “The Emmy," a cocktail made of L’Orange-flavored vodka, peach brandy, lime juice, simple syrup, bitters and a fresh peach slice.

"There's always special requests made during these events," says Alec Lestr, Patina Catering's executive chef, noting that the nearby Ralphs is a good resource for the occasional off-the-menu request.

The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will be shown live on Sunday, August 29, from Nokia Theater L.A. Live. For the first time in 30 years, the show will be broadcast live coast-to-coast, running from 5 to 8pm here on the west coast (8 to 11pm Eastern time).