Performers and directors with strong Baltimore ties had a field day as Emmy nominations were announced Thursday in Los Angeles. The nominees included actor Julie Bowen and writer Robin Veith, as well as two generations of Baltimore-bred directors in Barry Levinson and Jason Winer.
Bowen and Winer were at the heart of one of the biggest stories of the nominations: a major shift in TV comedy represented by "Glee" and "Modern Family" leading the comedy field with 19 and 14 nominations, respectively. Winer, a Baltimore Friends School graduate, is an executive producer and director on "Modern Family," while Bowen is one of the stars of the ensemble comedy about a diverse, multi-generational family.
Bowen, who grew up in Baltimore, was nominated as best supporting actress — one of two performers from the series up for that award. The other is Sofia Vergera.
"Modern Family" was nominated as best comedy, and Winer is one of its primary architects, setting the look and the pace of the series with a pilot that has already been honored with the Directors Guild of America Award earlier this year. He was nominated again Thursday for comedy directing for his work on the pilot.
"I'm much happier about the cast being so thoroughly recognized than I am by my own nomination," Winer said yesterday, referring to best supporting actor nominees Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Ty Burrell as well as Vergera and Bowen.
"It's an amazing accomplishment for them, especially people who haven't been necessarily recognized before," he added, speaking by phone from the set of "Arthur." He's directing the feature film remake this summer with a cast that includes Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Garner. Winer says he got the news of his nomination just as the first day of filming began Thursday morning.
"It's so rare that voters recognize someone whose performance is so effortless in facilitating the performances of others," Winer said, singling out Bowen for her performance as Claire Dunphy, the glue that holds this disparate clan together. "But that's what Julie does: She grounds the show, makes you feel things and provides an incredible comedic counterpoint for Ty Burrell's ridiculous character. Ty's character couldn't succeed without the way Julie reacts to him, and hers is the harder acting job — and so often it goes unacknowledged."
For the past three years, Tina Fey's "30 Rock" has swamped the comedy competition. But "Glee" and "Modern Family" break the historic network sitcom formula and offer a more inclusive, multicultural sensibility — even as they both celebrate some very traditional values. In that sense, the Baltimore nominees are part of a larger and more significant cultural trend.
There was another big Baltimore name among the directors getting Emmy nominations Thursday: Barry Levinson was nominated as best director in movies, miniseries or special for his HBO docudrama, "You Don't Know Jack," about Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The film, which was co-produced by Levinson and Tom Fontana, was also nominated as best made-for-TV movie.
Baltimore native Robin Veith also picked up another Emmy nomination for her work on AMC's " Mad Men." She and series creator Matthew Weiner were nominated for the episode "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency." Veith is no longer with the show.
Maryland resident Terry O'Quinn received a nomination as best supporting actor in a drama for his work on the last season of ABC's " Lost."
Baltimore producer-writer David Simon's HBO drama "Treme" received two nominations — one for best directing, by Agnieszka Holland, and one for music and lyrics, by Steve Earle.
David.zurawik@baltsun.com.