Secret behind Jim Parsons' and Julie Bowen's Emmy victories

Most Emmy pundits bet that Steve Carell would finally win best comedy actor for his last season on "The Office" just like Sarah Jessica Parker finally won her overdue, elusive Emmy for her final year on "Sex and the City." In the race for best supporting comedy actress, most bets were on Emmy host Jane Lynch winning for "Glee."

But victories were scored by Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") and Julie Bowen ("Modern Family") instead. How did they do it?

Both stars benefited from a quirk of Emmy voting: They were nominated against costars. Because winners are chosen by a small jury of voters evaluating single episodes, they get to be seen more than once. Parsons also gave judges a performance on costar Johnny Galecki's episode submission. Bowen gave judges an extra performance on Sofia Vergara's episode.

That's why it was no surprise that Ty Burrell won best supporting comedy actor, as widely expected. He was nominated against three "Modern Family" costars: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed O'Neill and Eric Stonestreet.

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Photo: Jim Parsons in "The Big Bang Theory." Credit: CBS

Emmys: Will a 'Modern Family' star win best supporting comedy actor?

The race for best supporting comedy actor at this year's Emmys comes down to which "Modern Family" actor is most helped by his costars' submissions. Four actors from the comedy are nominated this year, more than any other show has ever earned in this category, which means that voters will be watching four submissions in which all four men appear. That's why shows with multiple nominees in a category usually win, instead of splitting the vote.

Last year's winner, Eric Stonestreet, will probably not repeat. When he won, he had submitted the episode "Fizbo," in which he defends his boyfriend's honor while wearing a clown suit. But this year he has entered "Mother's Day," in which he complains about being treated as a woman in his relationship with Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). He complains in most of the episodes submitted by "Modern Family" actors, which may not play well to voters. But his bigger problem may be that his costars' scenes in his episode may be better than his own: Ty Burrell and Ed O'Neill have touching, funny scenes in which O'Neill is embarrassed about crying over his late mother.

O'Neill submitted "The Kiss," in which his wife (Sofia Vergara) tricks him into performing strange rituals during a dinner preparation. He later expresses regrets over raising a son who is afraid of intimacy. But that episode's main storyline helps Ferguson, who is uncomfortable being kissed by his boyfriend in public.

Ferguson submitted "Halloween," in which he struggles to get out of a Spider-Man getup when he discovers that he's the only one who has come to work in costume. Appearing in costume helped Stonestreet last year, and the physical slapstick stands out against his costars' performances, though Burrell does have a strong subplot in which he fears for the security of his marriage.

Burrell's episode gives him the benefit of playing against type. In "Good Cop, Bad Dog," his happy-go-lucky character must reluctantly play disciplinarian to his disobedient teenage daughters, until he goes overboard by leaping onto their car and taping their computers shut. In O'Neill's subplot, he must deliver tough criticism to an eager entrepreneur, but proves to be a big old softy when he adopts the entrepreneur's dog. And Ferguson must figure out how to leave for a Lady Gaga concert while Stonestreet is sick in bed.

Who we'd like to see as Emmy presenters

The Emmys are less than a month away, so it's time to start thinking about presenters we'd like to see bestowing awards to their peers on Sept. 18 when Jane Lynch ("Glee") hosts the kudofest on Fox. Here are a few choices for Emmy producers to chew over. If you have any other creative ideas, sound off in the comments section below.

Ed O'Neill with Katey Sagal
These former "Married ... With Children" lovebirds went their entire careers without receiving Emmy nominations. Both had a great chance of breaking that curse this year, but only O'Neill came away with a nod for "Modern Family." Sagal must make due with her Golden Globe win earlier this year for "Sons of Anarchy." It sure would be nice to see these veteran actors appearing on camera once again all these years later. Emmy producers should like this idea since "Married ... With Children" first appeared on Fox.

Walter Bishop with Walternate Bishop
Fans and critics blast the Emmys every year for snubbing "Fringe" star John Noble. Since the awards are airing on Fox, this is the perfect time for the network to ballyhoo its cult sci-fi hit to the masses, while at the same time giving Noble some overdue Emmy attention. There's no better way to showcase the craziness of the show than to have Noble appear as both of his characters -- the endearing Walter and the evil Walternate -- on the live telecast. With a little help from CGI, of course.

Steve Carell with James Spader
A passing of the "Office" torch seems like a no-brainer for the Emmy telecast. Steve Carell famously hands the reins of the popular NBC comedy over to James Spader this season, so pairing them up together would be fun for "Office" fans everywhere. This is Carell's last shot at winning an Emmy for "The Office," so he's already the talk of the town, and looking back at Spader's Emmy history suggests he'll be winning a trophy next year in the same lead actor category. (He replaced Dylan McDermott on "The Practice" and won an Emmy for it.)

The kids of "Modern Family"
While the main stars of "Modern Family" continue to rack up Emmy nominations, the hilarious kids on that show shouldn't be forgotten. Rico Rodriguez, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter and Nolan Gould are each wonderful performers, it's just a shame that Emmy has a bias against child actors.

The husbands of "Desperate Housewives"
Much like the above, all of the attention goes toward the main stars of "Desperate Housewives," and the lesser-known performers get overlooked. With the show ending next year, it's one of the last times for the Emmys to recognize this once-popular nighttime soap opera, and having James Denton, Doug Savant and Ricardo Antonio Chavira take the stage would be a creative way to honor the series.

Bryan Cranston
No matter what happens, Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") must present this year's lead drama actor category. He's dominated this race for the past three years, and now that he's ineligible due to his show's extended hiatus, it'd be a real treat to see him bestow the award to one of the leading men that he's been keeping from winning.

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Photo: Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal in "Married ... With Children." Credit: Fox TV

Emmy contenders: Jane Lynch has a secret advantage

As the Emmys approach, Jane Lynch may look like the inevitable winner of best supporting comedy actress. Not only did she bag the category last year, but now she's hosting the Emmycast. But beware: She doesn't have the advantage she had last year -– she doesn't have that single powerhouse episode of "Glee" to submit to Emmy judges.

Last year, Lynch won for "The Power of Madonna," which was an impressive showcase for her skills as an actress, comedian, singer and dancer. She may have been competing in the supporting category, but she had so much screen time in that segment she seemed like a lead star.

The episode Lynch submitted this year isn't a blockbuster. "Funeral" is much more quiet and subdued as Lynch's character, Sue, mourns the loss of her sister, who had Down's Syndrome. Lynch shows a sadder and angrier side of her character and she doesn't get a chance to show off comedic skills. And she has much less screen time than she did in "The Power of Madonna."

Lynch does have another advantage this year though. She appears extensively in the episode submitted to Emmy judges by rival nominee Kristen Wiig. For some unknown reason, Wiig entered the episode of "Saturday Night Live" hosted by Lynch last fall. It's a perfect showcase for Lynch to show off her chops as a singer and comedian as she appears in a wide range of skits. It's a great complement to the dramatic performance Lynch gives on her own "Glee" submission, thus showing off her range as a performer.

Often this phenomenon helps a star to win. Felicity Huffman won for comedy actress in 2005 when her "Desperate Housewives" castmates Marcia Cross and Teri Hatcher submitted episodes that assisted Huffman in showing off her range. The same crossover aided Eric Stonestreet in 2010 (up against Ty Burrell and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"), Cynthia Nixon in 2004 (up against Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis, "Sex and the City"), and all throughout Emmy history ("The West Wing" supporting actors, "The Golden Girls" lead actresses, etc.).

'Modern Family' stars may help each other to win the Emmy again

Emmy contenders nominated against costars have a secret advantage. Since winners are chosen by judges who view one sample episode from each contender in a category, costars are seen on each other's episode submissions in addition to their own. Thus, they get twice as many chances to show off their acting chops. This curious Emmy factor probably helped Felicity Huffman, for example, to win lead comedy actress in 2005. The performance she gave on her "Desperate Housewives" episode wasn't great, but she was so amazing on Marcia Cross' submission that the two taken together put her ahead of the pack. 

Now consider this year's contest for supporting comedy actor in which "Modern Family" has four of the six slots: Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed O'Neill and Eric Stonestreet. Last year, when "Modern Family" had three of the six nominations, Stonestreet prevailed. In the contest for supporting comedy actress, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara are going head to head. Meantime, over in the category of guest actor in a comedy, Nathan Lane is the only "Modern Family" contender. Even though it's unlikely that many judges will overlap, the seven actors up from this series have submitted seven different episodes in the three categories. 

Below is a breakdown of each episode.

Julie Bowen's episode is "Strangers on a Treadmill," in which she tries to help her husband with his Realtor's banquet speech. Who else gets to shine? Burrell, who is seen as sympathetic for much of the episode until he makes the speech and winds up scoring with the crowd.

Ty Burrell, "Good Cop, Bad Dog": Burrell must become the bad parent for a day and force his daughters to do their chores. Who else gets to shine? Ferguson, who desperately wants to go to a Lady Gaga concert, but has to watch after his sick partner instead.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Halloween": Ferguson wears a Spider-Man costume to work only to realize that wearing costumes is not the norm at the office. Who else gets to shine? Vergara, who has a hilarious storyline involving her family trying to correct her thick Colombian accent.

Ed O'Neill, "The Kiss": O'Neill is made to realize that he's emotionally closed off, resulting in his son not feeling comfortable kissing in public. Who else gets to shine? Ferguson again, who squirms around throughout the episode trying to avoid Stonestreet's kisses.

Eric Stonestreet, "Mother's Day": Stonestreet is made to feel self-conscious when he is seen as Lily's mother figure as opposed to her father. Who else gets to shine? O'Neill, who has an unexpected emotional moment when he remembers his deceased mother's cooking.

Sofia Vergara, "Slow Down Your Neighbors": Vergara is taught to ride a bicycle for the first time, showcasing various scenes of physical comedy. Who else gets to shine? Bowen, who has several memorable tantrums as she deals with a speeding neighbor.

Emmys: Fans react to nominations

Commenters in our forum are delighted about top Emmy nominations for new TV shows such as "Game of Thrones." They're furious over the snubs of "Fringe" and "Sons of Anarchy" and flabbergasted that last year's winner for drama actress, Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer"), was booted out. Below, sample comments. See more here.

DS0816: Glad for Melissa McCarthy. She really earned it! And so did Martha Plimpton.

sweetboroguy: I actually cut off a piece of my hat and ate it this morning because I am a man of my word. "Parks" was nominated for Best Comedy and so I ate the hat.

24Emmy: I'm glad Louis C.K. made it, but poor Joel McHale.

blueprint: Brenda Strong for voice over on "Desperate Housewives"?! How cool is that?

JJA91: All 6 cast members of "Modern Family" get in!!!

MadScntst: Thrilled for Margo Martindale, Walton Goggins, and Timothy Olyphant from "Justified" and Peter Dinklage and "Game of Thrones." Disappointed that Katey Sagal is not there, and downright xxxxed that John Noble is not there.

Marvelous Mr. Maker: No Kyra Sedgwick... Can't believe this...

AM_092: Martha Plimpton! Though not enough love elsewhere for "Raising Hope"

PaulHan: The Emmys ... where you need a federal court order to evict shows like "Mad Men" and "Dexter" and Hugh Laurie + Mariska Hargitay from the lineup.

Atypical: No Neil Patrick Harris? They can't get enough of Jon Cryer I guess ... Jimmy Fallon makes the cut in variety series over Letterman. Didn't expect that.

SkyLight: Go Kate Winslet! Get that Emmy!

Hybrid87: "SYTYCD" + Cat Deeley made me very happy. Disappointed though that Emmy voters can't seem to connect with "Parenthood" because Krause, Emerson, Graham and Whitman would have all made their categories stronger.

Sasha: January Jones, you silly blonde ... Had you gone supporting, you would have been nominated and had chance at winning.

Benito Delicias: "Community" ZERO, "Cougar Town" ZERO, "Weeds" ZERO. These people don't know comedy AT ALL.
 
Turtle: Poor Harry Shearer. At least he was nominated once (in TWO DECADES). But his continual snub is up there with yet another baffling Katey Sagal omission: How good do they have to be?!

oscarnutlen: same old boring names over and over again.

rp557: All the "Game of Thrones" love makes my day (though I would have liked more acting nominations), Well done, ATAS.

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Photo: "Parks and Recreation." Credit: NBC

Emmys: Sofia Vergara is keeping her eye on Betty White

Two years and two Emmy nominations, that's not a bad track record for Sofia Vergara and her role as the Colombian wife to Ed O'Neill's Jay Pritchett on the ABC comedy "Modern Family."  And now, with so many other cast nominations, she's delighted to see the love being spread around. "On this show, we don’t exist alone," she says. 

It’s a pretty big day for the "Modern Family" crew. Where were you when you got word of your nomination?

I was sleeping! I am still like dead from my trip to Italy and doing promotion for "Smurfs." I was enjoying my sleep but this is better than coffee.

And your hubby on the show, Ed O’Neill, finally got his nomination.

I’m so happy because even though he didn’t care last year [about not receiving a nod], we all did. We wanted him to be part of the group. Last year we had such a great time. I think this will be even better now with Ed nominated.

How do you plan to celebrate?

Well, I’m working -- I’m shooting my K-Mart commercial. I guess the big celebration will have to wait till the Emmys. It’s work, work, work right now.

Is it odd being up against one of your costars?

It’s great. If Julie [Bowen] wins, it’s as if I won. On this show, we don’t exist alone. We need each other for the characters to come to life. I’ll be happy either way.

You were nominated last year. Did you feel pressure going into last season because all eyes were suddenly on you?

It’s great because it made me work harder. When you know people are watching you, you want to always do your best -- to prove that you were worthy of the nomination. It just brings good energy.

Who would you say is your biggest competition on Emmy night?

Hmm. I don’t know. Betty White is on the list, that can’t be good for anyone.

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Photo: Sofia Vergara, right, with "Modern Family" costars, Ed O'Neill, left, and Rico Rodriguez. Credit: Adam Larkey / ABC

Emmy mystery surrounds 'Sons of Anarchy' star Katey Sagal [video]

At the upcoming Emmys, Katey Sagal ("Sons of Anarchy") teeters on the edge of getting an overdue nomination for lead actress in a TV drama series.

On the plus side: Sagal has strong awards momentum. Earlier this year, she won the Golden Globe. Last week came the good news she's nominated for the new Critics' Choice TV Award. That may suggest an easy Emmy nomination is next, but beware: Sagal could be fighting a weird Emmy curse. She and "Married … with Children" costar Ed O'Neill were never nominated during their 11 years on that classic sitcom. (By contrast, she received four Golden Globe bids as Peggy Bundy.) Neither scored Emmy bids last year now that each of them is back on the air. O'Neill was the only male adult star of "Modern Family" who was snubbed by TV academy voters.

To blame may be the notorious snobbism of Emmy voters, those elite Hollywooders who were probably repulsed by the delightfully trashy Bundy clan and now may be put off by Sagal as chief biker babe of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club.

"I would argue for our show that I don't look at us as trashy people," she says with a wry smile in our webcam chat. "I look at us as all different classes of people. Gemme [her character] and Clay [Ron Pearlman as her husband] are the hierarchy of that world, so we have a certain sophistication about us. That's what I would say!"

Looking back at "Married … with Children," however, Sagal admits, "We were kind of, obviously, looked over." Specifically, she thought it was "kind of weird" that her costar Ed O'Neill was never nominated. "I thought, wow, this is the funniest guy on television!"

However, "when I won the Golden Globe for 'Sons of Anarchy,' he was really proud of me," she says. "He was included in all my pride of it too."

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: FX Network

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The highs and lows of the Emmy races: The most interesting categories

 
With more than 100 Emmy races, it’s difficult to know which contests will be the most exciting and which ones can be skipped for a bathroom break during the awards telecast. But from the way things are shaping up, here's a cheat sheet to what promise to be the five most interesting races:

Lead actor, comedy: It’s a good thing Steve Carell has a sense of humor. Even though “The Office” proved to be an Emmy darling at the start (best comedy series, 2006), Carell has lost the lead actor race five times, including once to the chap who created the original British series: Ricky Gervais (“Extras”). Now can Carell finally get the last laugh upon leaving the Yankee version? Sarah Jessica Parker was overdue for an Emmy when she ultimately prevailed for her last season on “Sex and the City.”

Drama series: Can “Mad Men” go four in a row for top drama series? Only three programs have won that trophy as many times: “Hill Street Blues” (1981-1984), “L.A. Law” (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991) and “The West Wing” (2000-2003). Its toughest rival may be “Boardwalk Empire,” which won the drama award at the Golden Globes and best ensemble at the SAG Awards. Both shows are old news, though, airing in late 2010. The usurper could be “The Good Wife.” It’s currently airing, Emmy voters love legal dramas and it’s on CBS. Most members of the academy work for broadcast networks — but a show airing on one of the Big Four hasn’t triumphed here since 2006, when “24” took it.