'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.

Which 'Glee' episode should Chris Colfer submit to Emmy judges? [Poll]

When Chris Colfer was nominated for best supporting comedy actor last year, he had one obvious episode of "Glee" to submit to Emmy judges. "Laryngitis" was packed with everything –- angst, humor, tension, suspense and even a rattle-the-rafters musical number. In it, his gay character, Kurt, tried to pass as straight to please his disapproving father but failed and ended by defiantly belting out a variation on "Rose's Turn" from the musical "Gypsy."

Colfer lost to Eric Stonestreet, who submitted the "Fizbo" episode of "Modern Family," but most Emmy pundits believe that it was a close contest. Now that Colfer is back in the race and will soon be exiting "Glee," the pressure is on. The recent Golden Globe champ needs to make a strong new episode submission to the judges if he wants to catch up with Emmy. But which one? Colfer has many good segments to choose from, but not one standout.

He's up against all four adult male cast members from "Modern Family": Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed O'Neill, and last year's winner, Stonestreet. Conventional wisdom might suggest the "Modern" men will split the vote, but not so at the Emmys. Every actor submits one episode for consideration, and with four "Modern" actors in the race, each will have the advantage of appearing in four different submissions: their own and those of their co-stars. That's why a show with multiple nominated actors in a category tends to win.

We ask our forum posters for their views. Samples below. See more here.

RBurton: I'm on the fence between "Never Been Kissed" and "Born This Way." In the former, he has one explosive dramatic scene and a few genial, subtler ones alongside Darren Criss. There's no telling how that would play to Emmy voters, who'll be viewing this alongside traditional sitcoms.

FEDEclown: DEFINITELY "Duets." I think that is his most competitive one for comedy. The other episodes that he is considering are just not enough ("Grilled Cheesus," "Never Been Kissed," "Born This Way").

Brilliance inmorbid: I don't know why anyone is even considering "Born this Way." He doesn't have much screen time and annoys with the material he does have.

Atypical: Ideally I'd hope that Chris Colfer would submit "Prom Queen" as his tape. It has both great comedic and dramatic moments in it, and I think it best represents what Kurt went through in season 2 (dealing with homophobia and bullying).

LonePirate: He should submit one where he is acting and not whining, provided such a tape exists.

MissyGal: If he wants to go with a tape with the most impact, he needs to go with "Prom Queen." It's not a comedic tape, by any means, but it makes a strong impression.

Jss0058: He isn't going to out-"funny" the other contestants with any tape, so he should go with his best work of the season which is "Grilled Cheesus."

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-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: Chris Colfer in the "Born This Way" episode of "Glee." Credit: Fox TV

Emmy Contenders: Behind the scenes with Ty Burrell and his favorite 'Modern Family' moments

On occasion, we here at Awards Tracker will check in with a show’s cast members to get their responses to some random questions. Here we spotlight Ty Burrell of ABC's Emmy-winning comedy "Modern Family," in which Ed O’Neill and Sofia Vergara star as Jay and Gloria Pritchett, whose complicated family life includes Jay's son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who lives with his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and their toddler daughter Lily, and Jay's daughter Claire (Julie Bowen), who lives with her husband Phil (Burrell) and their three children. Check back later for more with "Modern Family."

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

“A scene from late in the season. The whole family is at Alex’s middle-school graduation. It was a marriage of the off-screen family and the on-screen family that we’re so lucky to have on our show. It was a brilliantly sunny day. Julie and I were doing some truly fun and challenging physical comedy. Then, in between scenes, I was throwing the football around with Chris Lloyd [co-creator] hanging out on this giant soccer field with the cast and Steve Levitan [co-creator], who was directing that episode, joking with the kids, etc. Just a big, blissful memory.”

What is your favorite off-camera moment on set?

“When we finish shooting for the day and we’re all still hanging around trying to crack each other up. I can’t think of a better symbol of our good fortune than a group of people who make jokes for a living, lingering around after doing it all day, laughing their heads off for the sheer joy of it.”

Tell us something about one of your castmates that most people don’t know.

“Ed O’Neill is a black belt in jujitsu. If you make him angry he will very lovingly make you unconscious.”

What’s your favorite television comedy of all time?

“How to decide...? ‘Mr. Show’ and ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ for being thrilling. ‘News Radio’ for its huge, perfect cast. Bill Cosby in anything on TV (incuding ‘I Spy,’ which was often funny). Both Bob Newhart shows. I really could go on forever .... "

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-- Elena Howe

Photo: Ty Burrell, left, and Reid Ewing in a scene from "Modern Family." Credit: Adam Larkey / ABC

Comedy Central/MTV Networks Comedy Awards nominations announced

 
So you thought the awards' season was officially over on Feb. 27, Oscar Sunday?

Think again. Comedy Central and MTV Networks have created the Comedy Awards, which will be telecast on April 10 on Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1, CMT and Nick at Night.
 Nominations in 15 categories were announced Tuesday. The nominees were chosen by the "Comedy Awards' Board of Directors,'' which includes director James Burrows, Stephen Colbert, Brad Grey, Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers and Seth MacFarlane. The winners will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body from members of the comedy community.

The nominees are:

Comedy Series

"30 Rock"

"Eastbound & Down"

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

"Modern Family"

"The Office"

Comedy Actor-TV

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Ty Burell, "Modern Family"

Steve Carell, "The Office"

Danny McBride, "Eastbound & Down"

Tracy Morgan, "30 Rock"

Comedy Actress-TV

Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock"

Jane Lynch, "Glee"

Betty White, "Hot in Cleveland"

Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live"

Comedy Actor-Film

Russell Brand, "Get Him to the Greek"

Will Ferrell, "The Other Guys"

Zach Galifianakis, "Dinner for Schmucks"

Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Version"

Jonah Hill, "Cyrus"

Comedy Actress-Film

Tina Fey, "Date Night"

Anne Hathaway, "Love & Other Drugs"

Helen Mirren, "Red"

Chloe Moretz, "Kick-Ass"

Emma Stone, "Easy A"

Late Night Comedy Series

"The Colbert Report"

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

"Jimmy Kimmel Live"

"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"

"Late Show with David Letterman"

Sketch Comedy/Alternative Comedy Series

"Children's Hospital"

"Funny or Die Presents"

"Saturday Night Live"

"Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job"

"Tosh.O"

Stand-Up Special

"Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening"

"Bill Maher...But I'm Not Wrong"

"Louis C.K.: Hilarious"

"Ricky Gervais: Out of England 2"

"Whitney Cummings: Money Shot"

Comedy Film

"Cyrus"

"Easy A"

"Get Him to the Greek"

"Kick-Ass"

"The Other Guys"

Animated Comedy Film

"Despicable Me"

"Megamind"

"Shrek Forever After"

"Toy Story 3"

Animated Comedy  Series

"American Dad"

"Archer"

"Family Guy"

"The Simpsons"

"South Park"

For a complete list of nominees, go to Thecomedyawards.com

-- Susan King

Photo: Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin star in NBC's "30 Rock," which garnered seven Comedy Awards nominations. Credit: Nicole Rivelli / NBC Universal

SAG nominations: Ty Burrell on 'Modern Family'

 
Ty Burrell was happy to hear of his SAG nomination for male actor in a comedy series, even if he wasn't really expecting it. "My phone started ringing early, and I didn�t know why, because I�m an idiot. I finally just woke up and answered it and was like, �Oh right, this is the moment they�re announced.� "

But the news got even better as he realized that his comedy series, "Modern Family" also got the Screen Actors Guild comedy ensemble nod. "I was even more excited about the ensemble nomination because it�s the coolest one of the year. It�s just really fun. It seems like sort of a purist, rewarding thing. As people go through this, we go through this process together, and everybody is so thrilled when we�re nominated for best show, so to be nominated for best cast, it brings the kids more into the fold. They have whole storylines written for them more and more. The longer the show is on, the more they�re really getting."

But with such a group of stellar actors, does it create any tension on set when some receive nominations and others don't?

"It hasn�t at all. It�s been a situation where everybody is -- we on set really understand how equally this show is shared among us, and I think it�s a really unusual show that way, in that every week the storylines are completely equal. There�s sort of an arbitrary quality to people being singled out. I feel like, in the end, everybody will be. Because if you look at the show, it�s just spread out so consistently and so evenly, and I think that�s why I feel like the ensemble award is so special for our show."

Speaking of special, are the awards shows themselves stressful or fun?

"I wasn�t sure if I was going to enjoy them. But my wife and I � it�s fun. For whatever reason, it hasn�t been that stressful. I think it�s more stressful for my wife. I think that women have a more complicated time. I basically just comb my hair and go. We�ve had a really good time � it�s one of the few actual date nights we get, now that I have a 10-month-old daughter."

Is that her in the background?

"It is. She promptly pooped about 30 seconds after I heard about the award, and I went and changed her diaper. It was a true moment of celebration."

-- Amy Kaufman

Photo: Ty Burrell. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times