Welcome to what has become an annual jamboree at Movieline: a review of actors who pretended to sleep in, turn off their phone, or duck into the greenhouse during the Emmy nominations. We base this exercise on two important tenets: 1) Actors love receiving adulation, and 2) Actors love receiving adulation in front of everyone. There's no excuse to miss Sofia Vergara's giggly announcement, Jim Parsons, you vainglorious man! Let's sniff out the biggest liars from THR's roll of nominee reactions.
Seth Green:
THR: "Seth Green has a way of torturing his publicist -- 'anytime my publicist calls me with good news, I'm usually asleep.' And this year was no different as Green received the good news wake-up call that his 'Robot Chicken' had scored repeat noms for both shortform animated series and voiceover performance. 'I don't think you ever get acclimated to people saying that they like what you did,' he said."
Believability (Out of 10): 7. Fine, Seth, I believe you. You've given us this story before, so the publicist torture alibi checks out. But barely! You can't keep this up if you plan on continuing to earn Emmy nominations at an Amazing Race rate.
Gregory Itzin
THR: "The minute Gregory Itzin turned on his phone, his agent called breaking the news to the '24' actor: 'Wake up, boy. The day has just begun.' Recognized for his role as Charles Logan, Itzin said this nomination meant 'acknowledgment' for his work on the long-running Fox show. "Coming back on '24' was such an honor, to be part of the endgame,' the actor said."
Believability (Out of 10): 4. 'Wake up, boy. The day has just begun'? Does he live in the book Where the Red Fern Grows? Does he have coon-hounds to play with? At any rate: That reaction is dull.
Kyra Sedgwick
THR: "When Kyra Sedgwick heard the news of her fifth nomination for lead actress in a drama series for TNT's "The Closer," the actress says was in a far from glamorous situation, "I had poop in my hand!" Sedgwick, who was walking her dog when she heard the news, says she "never expected" a nom again this year."
Believability (Out of 10): 1. Kyra Sedgwick: What a pleasant-seeming woman for such an unscrupulous sociopath. Please, woman! After you win four nominations as a dramatic actress, you're a shoo-in for the fifth -- unless you're Chandra Wilson.
Jim Parsons
THR: "I'll just say 'Bazinga!' lead comedy actor nominee Jim Parsons said of his second nomination for his role as master geek Sheldon Cooper on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." Parsons, who was up walking his dog when he heard the news this year as opposed to announcing the nominations at the TV Academy, said he hoped he'd be less nervous his second time around."
Believability (Out of 10): 4. Again with the Sedgwick Excuse. If I was waiting around for the Emmy nomination announcement, would I be out jogging the pooch? No. He's unconvincing, but he's sweetly unconvincing.
Connie Britton
THR: "It's been four long seasons for 'Friday Night Lights' fans but the wait finally paid off when leads Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler each received their first-ever Emmy noms -- as lead drama actress and actor, respectively. The years of being shut out kept Britton in bed for the announcement. 'I'm not a masochist,' she joked. 'We had three seasons of not getting nominated for Emmys so I certainly would not have gotten up for it.'
Believability (Out of 10): 9. That's the voice of a hardened snub victim. If she's not the genuine article, no one is.