AMY Poehler led a push to introduce more thoughtful questions to the Emmy Awards red carpet today.

The actress and comedian's group Smart Girls started the #SmartGirlsAsk hash tag, asking for interesting questions to pose to celebrities as they arrived for the annual television awards ceremony.

It follows on from the #AskHerMore hash tag which went viral last year, continuing a campaign for the coverage of red carpet events to go beyond fashion and makeup.

When asked which actress he believed should be more recognised for her work, actor Liev Schreiber nominated his wife and date for the evening, Aussie Naomi Watts.

The hash tag attracted insightful questions from both every day viewers and fans to celebrities including Britney Spears.

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver answered Spears' question about which book he would recommend to his younger self.

Funny woman Ellie Kemper, star of the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, gave a practical answer to the question "what should every woman know how to do?".

Fellow comedian Amy Schumer also gave her nomination for a female late night show host for a TV genre dominated by men.