Envelope Emmy Week: Actors discuss the draw of their shows, and the odd families therein [video]

As part of the Envelope Emmy Week and Screening Series, we gathered a group of actors to participate in an Alternative Families panel earlier this week — Jennifer Carpenter of "Dexter," Peter Krause of "Parenthood," Cloris Leachman of "Raising Hope," Denis O'Hare of "True Blood," Emmy Rossum of "Shameless" and Katey Sagal of "Sons of Anarchy" — to talk about how each of their shows, in their own weird ways, involve the bonds of family, and the intimate relationships those bonds can bring.

In the hourlong conversation moderated by Times television critic Mary McNamara, the panel members, in the clip below, discuss what drew them to their roles, and the odd sort of families they contained, whether it be the lure of "being an outlaw," even one who has the normal everyday family concerns, or whether it's the ability to make your own family, if you happen to be among the vampires in "True Blood."

 

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-- Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: Bringing personal experience to the role and not knowing what direction their character might go [video]

As part of the Envelope Emmy Week and Screening Series, we gathered a group of actors to participate in an Alternative Families panel earlier this week — Jennifer Carpenter of "Dexter," Peter Krause of "Parenthood," Cloris Leachman of "Raising Hope," Denis O'Hare of "True Blood," Emmy Rossum of "Shameless" and Katey Sagal of "Sons of Anarchy" — to talk about how each of their shows, in their own weird ways, involve the bonds of family, and the intimate relationships those bonds can bring.

In the hourlong conversation moderated by Times television critic Mary McNamara, the panel, in the clip below, discusses what they bring of their selves to their character, like Sagal's fierce maternal instinct, or how the cast and crew themselves become a sort of family and when someone is written off the show there's a weird emptiness, says O'Hare. Rossum and Carpenter agree that everyone has the experience they need; whether it's pain or happiness, there is something they can draw on. 

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— Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: Alternative Family panel brings a wide mix of actors, shows [video]

As part of the Envelope Emmy Week and Screening Series, The Envelope gathered a group of actors to participate in an Alternative Families panel earlier this week — Jennifer Carpenter of "Dexter," Peter Krause of "Parenthood," Cloris Leachman of "Raising Hope," Denis O'Hare of "True Blood," Emmy Rossum of "Shameless" and Katey Sagal of "Sons of Anarchy" — to talk about how each of their shows, in their own weird way, involve the bonds of family, and the intimate relationships those bonds can bring.

In the hourlong conversation moderated by Times television critic Mary McNamara, the panel, in the clip below, discusses how actors must find a way to justify playing characters who sometimes do horrible things. Check back later for more clips.

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— Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: William H. Macy on his 'Shameless' dad's background [Video]

So what was 'Shameless' dad Frank like before he became a hard-core drunk, wonders L.A. Times television writer Scott Collins. The deep answer from star William H. Macy at the Envelope Screening Series last week? Huh, good question. The actor, only half-joking, says he's going to delve much deeper into the character as the show progresses, but he knows one thing: Behind the raging drunk, Frank is a very smart man. See the conversation below and check back later for other clips.

 

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-- Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: Emmy Rossum embraces the huge, dysfunctional 'Shameless' family [Video]

For only child Emmy Rossum, who plays eldest daughter Fiona on Showtime's "Shameless," the idea of being part of a large TV family was alluring. It's not all fun for the character though, as Rossum told Times television writer Scott Collins at the Envelope Screening Series last week. The character is a young woman who wants to enjoy her life, but finds she must help raise her brothers and sisters due to her alcoholic father's lapses. See what she has to say in the video below. And check back for further clips from the Q&A.

 

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-- Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: Are drunks funny? John Wells and William H. Macy of 'Shameless' discuss [Video]

In the Showtime comedy "Shameless," William H. Macy plays a drunken lout of a father who once, while on a bender, broke his son's nose. No doubt alcoholism isn't pretty, but is it funny? Macy thinks so. "Drunk is very funny," he said at the Envelope Screening Series panel last week. "It's also very sad," he clarified. The show's executive producer, John Wells, defended the series, saying the show in no way tries to glamorize people's struggles with alcohol but rather that it tries to present an exaggerated version of many people's reality. Watch the clip below for more on that conversation. And check back frequently for other excerpts.

 

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-- Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: Screening series and roundtables kick off the season

With the Emmy race poised to shift into high gear, the Los Angeles Times will kick things off with Envelope Emmy Week -- five days of television series screenings, cast Q&As and roundtable panels beginning June 1. 

Matt Weiner's "Mad Men" will launch the screening series programming as stars Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks and Kiernan Shipka join creator and executive producer Weiner for a lively discussion about the turns the AMC series took last season -- the new agency's in trouble, Don Draper's remarrying(!), Joan is pregnant and Sally, well Sally's growing up awfully fast.   

On June 2, William H. Macy and the cast of Showtime's "Shameless" will screen the series and talk about what could be television's most dysfunctional family ever, or maybe just its worst father ever.

Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins and the rest of the "Justified" gang gather on June 6 to take us behind the scenes of the highly acclaimed show about the U.S. marshal.

Emmy week continues on June 7 and 8 with two roundtables. Up first is Alternative Families in which an eclectic mix of actors will look at what "family" means on TV these days -- from biker gangs to vampire kingdoms -- and how their on-screen relationships help them and challenge them as actors.

The Geek TV roundtable on June 8 will look at the pop culture impact of shows that target the fanboy audience, as well as characters who embrace their geek status as a badge of honor.

After each panel, check back on Awards Tracker for video highlights of the night's discussions.

Guild members can get additional details and RSVP to attend any of the events at http://events.latimes.com/envelope/.

-- Elena Howe

Top photo: Jon Hamm as Don Draper. Credit: AMC

Bottom photo: Timothy Olyphant as U.S Marshal Raylan Givens. Credit: FX

Emmy slugfest over best drama actor: Jon Hamm vs. Steve Buscemi

After three past losses for his work on "Mad Men," Jon Hamm will finally win best TV drama actor at the Emmys, according to three of the six pundits polled by Awards Tracker. The gurus are our forums' moderators, who monitor the Emmy voting process closely and believe that Hamm can finally prevail because of the emotional impact and range he displays in the Season 4 episode that he will probably submit to Emmy judges: "The Suitcase."

Our other three pundits are betting on Steve Buscemi in "Boardwalk Empire," which will certainly be a major Emmy contender. The hot new HBO series recently won best drama series at the Golden Globes, halting beat "Mad Men's" three-year winning streak, and may soon do the same at the Emmys.

For the last three years, the Emmy contest for best TV drama actor was dominated by Bryan Cranston, but he's not eligible now because "Breaking Bad" had no new episodes airing during the Emmy eligibility period that ends May 31. Five-time loser Hugh Laurie ("House M.D.") has never won. Other nominees last year included Hamm, Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights") and Matthew Fox ("Lost"). All may return except Fox.

Other top contenders: Simon Baker ("The Mentalist"), Gabriel Byrne ("In Treatment"), Idris Elba ("Luther"), Charlie Hunnam ("Sons of Anarchy"), Jeremy Irons ("The Borgias"), Andrew Lincoln ("The Walking Dead"), William H. Macy ("Shameless"), Timothy Olyphant ("Justified"), Bill Paxton ("Big Love") and Tom Selleck ("Blue Bloods").

Our participating Emmy pundits: Chris Beachum, Matthew Cormier, Marcus Dixon, Darrin Dortch, Rob Licuria and Matt Noble. Below, they rank their top six predictions for best TV drama actor according to likelihood of winning (1 is most likely). Also, see their rankings for best drama series and comedy series.

-- Tom O'Neil

DRAMA ACTOR	Beachum	Cormier	Dixon	Dortch	Licuria	Noble
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"	2	1	1	2	1	2
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"		6		3	4	6
Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"			3			5
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"	4	2	6	5	3	3
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"	1	3	2	1	2	1
Jeremy Irons, "The Borgias"	3				5
Hugh Laurie, "House M.D."	5	5	5	6	6	4
William H. Macy, "Shameless"	6	4	4	4

Photos, from left: Jon Hamm in "Mad Men"; Steve Buscemi in "Boardwalk Empire. Credits: AMC, HBO

Poll: Can 'Shameless' star Emmy Rossum win an Emmy?

"Shameless," Showtime's new series about the ultimate dysfunctional family, is a serious Emmy contender. While it faces tough odds to be nominated in the crowded race for best drama series, star William H. Macy will probably snag a bid for drama actor. Two reasons: He's an Emmy darling (won for writing and starring in the 2002 TV film "Door to Door"), and he gives a big, brassy performance as a boozy Bohemian.

But what about Emmy Rossum, who portrays his daughter who valiantly tries to keep the crazy family functioning while Daddy goes on drunken benders? She didn't have much Emmy buzz after "Shameless" debuted in January, but that has changed over the past few weeks after she gave powerhouse turns in recent episodes such as "But at Last Came a Knock."

"I'd love to see Emmy Rossum make the Emmy cut this year," says a poster named Atypical in our forums. "It's funny that if this were the Oscars, the deglam/youth factor would make her a clear front-runner, but in Emmy land, the veteran ladies are not giving up their slots to the new girl at all. But if by some miracle she does break through, Rossum has competitive tapes to submit."

Forums poster east/west adds: "She deserves a nomination for her breakout role as the matriarch of the Gallagher family as far as I am concerned. If we accept the fact that five of the six slots are locked up with Kathy Bates, Mariska Hargitay, Julianna Margulies, Elisabeth Moss and Kyra Sedgwick, she'll be fighting with Connie Britton, Melissa Leo and Katey Sagal for that final slot." Read more comments in our forums.

Rossum was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2004 (best musical/comedy actress, "Phantom of the Opera"), but lost to Annette Bening ("Being Julia").

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum in "Shameless." Credit: Showtime