BERGEN ARRANGES QUICK EMMY ENTRANCE, EXIT.

Byline: Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith Special to the Daily News

Candice Bergen, who presented the President's Award at Sunday's Emmy celebration, came alone and didn't make her arrival via the front entrance, where the crowds and the media gathered and where she would have been in the spotlight. Instead, Candice, whose husband, Louis Malle died late last year, made her entrance through the rear, planning to leave as soon as she had made her presentation.

What a difference a year makes. Last year, ``Frasier'' star Kelsey Grammer not only brought his then-fiancee Tammi Alexander into the press room along with the ``Frasier'' company after the show copped Best Comedy honors - he led her right onto the platform where the series company assembled to answer media queries. There, he wrapped his arms around the lovely blonde and talked about how she'd helped him turn his life around. This year, after Kelsey was seen nuzzling other beauties, including Playboy model Camille Donatacci - and after reports of an angry ex-fiancee Tammi dabbling with a tell-all book - Grammer planned to avoid the woman-in-his-life issue entirely by bringing along his 12-year-old daughter, Spencer, as his Emmy date.

Jay Leno, a presenter as well as a nominee, wasn't planning on attending the Saturday rehearsal for the show. His representative merely said he had other commitments for Saturday. He planned to get to the Pasadena Civic early on Sunday - about 4 p.m. - to rehearse for the show that started at 5. Leno won an Emmy last year and had no acceptance speech prepared beforehand, and his rep didn't believe he had prepared an acceptance speech for this year, either.

Renee Taylor has absolutely savored being an Emmy nominee - and the fact that ``Entertainment Tonight'' has been accompanying her on her pre-Awards activities. Nominated for her role as Fran Drescher's mother on ``The Nanny,'' Taylor had Oscar de Laurentiis custom-make her a gown - and worked for weeks to lose weight so she could fit into a size 10. She says she doesn't know how much weight she lost, but dropped 2-1/2 inches from her waist, 1-1/2 inches from her bust, and an inch from her hips. She's being weighted down with $2 million in borrowed Harry Winston jewels.

Paul Reiser notes that hosting the Emmy show ``takes me out of it'' when it comes to being nervous as a double nominee - for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and as producer of an Outstanding Comedy contender. Having lots and lots of previous hosting experience (including the Grammys and the People's Choice Awards) takes the edge off his nerves over serving as master of ceremonies. Paul says he got invaluable hosting experience during his days as a comedy club regular. ``All of us who started out in the clubs have experienced M.C.ing - introducing the other acts, keeping things moving, passing the baton. In the beginning,'' he adds with a laugh, ``I used to think that being asked to host was a great honor. Then I finally realized they (i.e., club managers) were just looking for some poor sap who was willing to stay till closing.''

The entire ``Friends'' cast made plans to attend - though they weren't nominated - in a show of support for their producers and their nominated show. And obviously, to show that everyone is friends with everyone, though negotiations still haven't been resolved about the co-stars' requested salary raises.

Lily Tomlin was in the frustrating position of not knowing until late Saturday night if she was going to be a presenter on Sunday night's Emmys. The technical awards are always presented at a nontelevised awards show Saturday night. This year, guest star awards were also given out at that event (to the distress of those nominees) and the winner in the category was then asked to be a presenter on the televised Sunday night show. Now, either way, Lily was planning to be in the audience Sunday night. She narrated ``Celluloid Closet,'' a nominee for the President's Award - and she was attending the main event with the producers of the production. She was nominated for her guest appearance on ``Homicide: Life on the Street.''

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Photo: Arriving for Sunday's Emmy Awards telecast in Pasade na, David Schwimmer, left, and Matt LeBlanc show that salary disputes aren't coming between ``Friends'' on their NBC hit series.

John McCoy/Daily News