The Emmy noms: From Odenkirk to 'Thrones' 24 nods
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Former Naperville resident Bob Odenkirk snagged his first acting Emmy nod Thursday for his portrayal of the title character in the also-nominated AMC drama "Better Call Saul."
He faces a tough battle in the lead dramatic actor category against "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey of "House of Cards," Kyle Chandler of "Bloodline," Jeff Daniels of "The Newsroom" and Liev Schreiber of "Ray Donovan."
Odenkirk won't be the only former suburbanite hoping to hear his name called on Sept. 20.
Among the other nominees with suburban roots are Broadview's Anna Chlumsky, up for supporting actress in a comedy series for "Veep;" Rachel Brosnahan, who grew up in Highland Park, for guest actress in drama on "House of Cards;" and Bill Murray, of Wilmette, for supporting actor in a limited series or a movie for his work on "Olive Kitteridge."
Writer D.B. Weiss, who hails from Highland Park, is also up for drama writing for his work on HBO's fantasy saga "Game of Thrones" - which received a leading 24 Emmy Awards nominations Thursday, its stature apparently untouched by backlash over a female character's rape scene.
The series is a contender again for top drama honors, an award that has eluded it since it debuted in 2011. Joining "Game of Thrones," "Mad Men" and "Better Call Saul" in the best drama category are "Downton Abbey," "Homeland," House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black."
On the comedy series side, perennial TV academy favorite "Modern Family" is nominated again, along with "Louie," "Silicon Valley," "Transparent," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Veep."
Screenwriter Frederick Mensch of Palatine did not score a nomination for writing "Nightingale," an HBO film about a recluse falling apart in his mother's house. Yet "Nightingale" was nominated for outstanding television movie and star David Oyelowo received a nod as well.
"It's really exciting to get this kind of mainstream attention for such an unconventional film," Mensch said Thursday. "It's thrilling because I've been writing for 35 years with virtually no recognition, and then suddenly to get this burst of validation, it's really gratifying."
The TV academy took a modest step toward recognizing TV's increasing embrace of diverse TV talent, giving best actress nods to black stars Taraji P. Henson for "Empire" and Viola Davis for "How to Get Away With Murder."
"This is what it's supposed to be like. You should recognize actors and creative people in this industry from every level of all colors who do great work," Queen Latifah said.
The nominations set up the possibility of a history-making win: An African-American actress has never won the top drama acting award.
Henson and Davis will compete with Robin Wright of "House of Cards," Claire Danes in "Homeland," Elisabeth Moss from "Mad Men" and Tatiana Maslany of "Orphan Black."
Family comedy "black-ish" earned an acting bid for star Anthony Anderson, but failed to gain a best series nomination.
Also snubbed: freshman hit hip-hop-family drama "Empire," which was left out of the best drama series category, and series star Terrence Howard, who failed to get a best drama actor bid.
The relatively expansive ethnic diversity that TV offers also is in play when it comes to sexuality. "Transparent" and Jeffrey Tambor's portrayal of a transsexual's life received best comedy series and acting bids.
Other top awards are "American Horror Story: Freak Show," with 19 nominations; TV movies "Olive Kittridge" and "Bessie," with 13 and 12 bids, respectively; and "House of Cards," "Mad Men" and "Transparent" with 11 nominations.
The nominations reflect the steadily rising tide of cord-cutting networks. No commercial broadcast network drama made the cut for best series, with cable, streaming service Netflix and noncommercial PBS dividing up the spoils instead.
Besides Tambor and Anderson, lead comedy acting nominees are Matt LeBlanc in "Episodes," Don Cheadle from "House of Lies," Louis C.K. in "Louie" and William H. Macy from "Shameless."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who's won as best comedy actress for "Veep" three consecutive times, is competing with current movie and TV's It-Woman Amy Schumer for "Inside Amy Schumer," Lily Tomlin for "Grace and Frankie," Lisa Kudrow in "The Comeback," Edie Falco of "Nurse Jackie" and Amy Poehler from "Parks and Recreation."
• Scott C. Morgan contributed to this report.
Suburban Emmy nominees
Among the 2015 nominees are several with ties to Chicago suburbs. They include:
Bob Odenkirk, formerly of Naperville, for Lead Actor in a Drama Series “Better Call Saul”
D.B. Weiss, formerly of Highland Park, for Writing for a Drama Series “Game of Thrones”
Anna Chlumsky, formerly of Broadview, for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series “Veep”
Rachel Brosnahan, formerly of Highland Park, for Guest Actress in Drama Series “House of Cards”
Richard Jenkins, formerly of DeKalb, for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie “Olive Kitteridge”
Paul Dinello, formerly of Oak Park, for Writing for a Variety Series “The Colbert Report”
Joan Cusack, formerly of Evanston, for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series “Shameless”
Bill Murray, formerly of Wilmette, for Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie “Olive Kitteridge”
Jane Lynch, formerly of Dalton, for Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program “Hollywood Game Night”
Dan Castellaneta, formerly of Oak Park, for Character Voice-Over Performance “The Simpsons”