LOS ANGELES — Consider Neil Patrick Harris' qualifications to host the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.

He performs magic, which requires holding the viewer's gaze.

He played the master of ceremonies in Broadway's "Cabaret."

And not incidentally, he has hosted numerous industry honors, including the World Magic Awards, the Directors Guild Awards, the TV Land Awards and the Tonys, for which he received wide critical acclaim.

"It's been a lot of little hosting baby steps," Harris says.

Preparation for tonight's Emmys comes on top of his day job as lovable cad Barney Stinson on CBS' Emmy-nominated comedy "How I Met Your Mother." That's not to mention a couple of upcoming film roles, an interactive theater experience he co-produces, a movie he plans to make and a "How I Met Your Mother" episode he will direct. "I feel like a multi-tasking monster right now," says the three-time Emmy nominee.

Perhaps it's that ability to jump from identity to identity, task to task or skill to skill that makes him right as host of all trades. Writer and producer Joss Whedon was an admirer of Harris' range, having seen him in Arthur Miller's drama "All My Sons," the Broadway musical "Assassins" and "How I Met Your Mother," when he asked him to play the title character in the Internet sensation "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." He was even more impressed, however, by Harris' level of commitment.

Says Whedon, "(When) he's in, he's totally in. Doing a low-budget movie, doing a play on or off Broadway, doing a recording, hosting a show, he's in — up to his eyeballs. He loves the work."

For an actor once known for one character — teen doctor Doogie Howser, M.D. in the early '90s series — Harris is now recognized not only for a multitude of roles, but also for himself. "It's been a lot of good fortune. I've gotten interesting roles that I tried to sink my teeth into."

CLASSIC STYLE

In his "How I Met Your Mother" dressing room, decorated with framed posters of master magicians, Harris relaxes a bit, looking younger than his 36 years. He's still in Stinson suit and tie, an outfit that matches the mood he hopes to set at the Emmys. "I keep steering toward the old, Dean Martin, Rat Pack-y, Sands type of mentality, more where everyone was dressed up but it was still a little loose. That's the vibe I hope to achieve."

He reaches back to that era for favorite hosting styles as well, from Johnny Carson's genial sarcasm to Dick Cavett's wry intelligence. But, he notes, "hosting is just being yourself. It's no different than if there are 10 people in your living room and you're hosting a small dinner party. You still need to be presentable, calm and fun," he says. "With acting, you're trying to be lost in the role and nothing like yourself."

Acting, however, is where the New Mexico native honed the comedy and musical skills that served him well earlier this year at the TV Land Awards and especially the Tonys.

"He's likable, he's quick on his feet, he can sing and he can move," Emmy executive producer Don Mischer says. "He can kind of roll with whatever comes along. All those things put together make for a great host."

Harris is more than a frontman; he's an Emmy producer, too, an unusual role for a host, Mischer says. That gives him a voice in assembling an awards show hoping to rebound from last year's low-ratings (12.3 million viewers, tying the record).

"He's been involved in everything from the design of the set to lighting looks to the film packages we're preparing. He's clearly enjoying it," Mischer says, laughing. "He may end up deciding to produce at some point."

Emmy producers are trying to streamline the program, which distributes more awards on air than the Oscars or Grammys, to make more room for entertainment. But in trying to find some extra minutes, they stepped into a hornets' nest of opposition with one proposal, since abandoned, to pretape some honors.

"The last thing I would want to do would be to disrespect people who are deserving of awards," says Harris, who believes the plan was misconstrued.

Emmy entertainment will likely include Harris' own singing. "I am comfortable singing in a context like that," he says. "I am least comfortable singing karaoke, and less comfortable singing in cabarets. I really only like singing when you understand the context, so an awards show is fine."

'STANDING TALL'

In one area, his personal life, Harris downshifts. "I'm a bit of a homebody. My professional life is chaos and multitasking. It feels like an escalator that's moving pretty quickly, so in my spare time, I like to ... tinker in the garage, fix things, organize boxes. "

His "better half," actor David Burtka, is completing culinary training at New York's Babbo. Harris first publicly discussed being gay in 2006. When asked if that has affected his career, he says, "I've been grateful and relieved we live in a world where I don't have to feel innate shame for who I choose to fall in love with. That's allowed me to stand tall, and when you're standing tall, I think you perform better."

Burtka isn't Harris' only cooking connection. His parents, Ron and Sheila, and brother Brian run the Albuquerque restaurant Perennials. He likes the meal transaction, one that would seem a good fit for Emmy host and audience. "You invite people over, cook an amazing meal, they love it, end of story," he says. "You leave full and happy."

A relaxed home life is a pleasant counterpoint to Harris' demanding work obligations. Besides the Emmys and "How I Met Your Mother," he has roles in two upcoming films, "The Best and the Brightest" and "Beastly," and he has hired Teller, of Penn & Teller, to write a script for a short film he plans to direct at Hollywood's Magic Castle, a sleight-of-hand haven where he is a board member.

Another project stems from his love of live entertainment. He so enjoyed a piece of participatory New York street theater, "Accomplice," that he became a co-producer of a Hollywood version (accomplicetheshow.com).

"You interact with people who are actors. It's the coolest scavenger hunt that L.A. has going," says the actor, also an aficionado of juggling and the trapeze.