Emmy Awards

What is there to say about the Emmys that has not been said before? Rather than flip for writing up the obligatory pre-broadcast essay, Times TV critics Robert Lloyd and Mary McNamara had a conversation in which they aired their grievances, their preferences and gave praise where it was due. Robert: Well, Mary, the fall season is breaking and the Emmy Awards are upon us once again Sunday night. And once again I have failed to pay much attention to them; I understand that they're popular and fun and give newspaper writers something to write about; but they seem to me irrelevant to the art and crafts they celebrate.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has got it made. Not only was her new series "Veep" nominated for an Emmy for outstanding comedy series and she for lead actress in a comedy series, but superstar designer Vera Wang reached out to her, asking if she could design Louis-Dreyfus' Emmy-night gown. "She wanted to make something just for me," Louis-Dreyfus said of her copper-colored gown, which showed off the actress' toned arms to great effect. PHOTOS: Emmy Awards 2012 red carpet Louis-Dreyfus was particularly excited about "Veep" because the show, which is on HBO, has enabled her to explore a racier side of comedy she finds new and enticing.

In 1999, Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel and pal Adam Carolla gave viewers "The Man Show," a Comedy Central program that celebrated and mocked the stereotypical guy with such segments as "Girls Jumping on Trampolines. " Kimmel and Carolla wore untucked shirts and quaffed copious amounts of beer. On Sunday, Kimmel is not only donning a tuxedo and hosting the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, but he could raise a champagne glass if "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" wins for best variety series. One can only hope the three-hour Emmy telecast goes by as quickly as those 13 years did. TIMELINE: Emmy winners through the years The Emmys, which are being handed out at the Nokia Theatre, will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific on Sunday and will be aired live across the country on ABC. The red carpet officially starts at 2:30 p.m. Pacific.

Giancarlo Esposito, nominated for an Emmy Award for supporting actor in "Breaking Bad," had a novel way of keeping cool Sunday on the red carpet, which was a sweltering 88 degrees. He was carrying a fan made by his girlfriend and daughter, depicting his character, Gus, with half his face blown off, just like on the show. "The secret is the fan," Esposito said. "I can always talk to it when I don't have anyone else to talk to. I can use it as a seat filler. " It wasn't likely that Esposito wouldn't have anyone to talk to Sunday afternoon, with "Breaking Bad" up for a number of big awards and its viewers more excited about it than ever.

Now that "30 Rock" is in its seventh and final season, Alec Baldwin says he plans to let his yoga instructor wife, Hilaria, "bring home the bacon. " "Even though we don't eat bacon," she joked Sunday on the Emmy Awards red carpet in Los Angeles.  Alec Baldwin, nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for the hilarious and lovable Jack Donaghy he plays on "30 Rock," said he would stop loafing in February to do a little Broadway. PHOTOS: Top Emmy winners  |  Emmys red carpet arrivals  |  Overheard at the 2012 Emmys "With the show ending, this is a bittersweet day for me," he said.

It was a three-peat for “Modern Family.” ABC's ensemble hit comedy about a loving, dysfunctional family won the Emmy for best comedy series for the third consecutive year, capping a night in which it also won awards for directing, supporting actor and supporting actress - four trophies in all. Other big winners Sunday night - each also earning four trophies apiece - were “Game Change” and “Homeland. " If Sarah Palin was watching the 64th annual Emmy Awards on ABC, she probably wasn't clapping.

Jon Hamm and the "Girls" - how's that for a sexy tagline for Sunday's 64th Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC? The annual awards rite could use a splash of sex appeal, with ratings falling and the nominations going to series the vast majority of Americans don't regularly follow. For the first time, none of the big four broadcast networks has a series among the nominees for drama series. So viewers who might have missed some of the offerings on the 100 or so networks piped into their home might appreciate a rough guide to the proceedings: What are some special things to watch for this year?

By the end of the night, all of the awards for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out and the winners (and some of the losers, as well) will be out whooping it up at various parties across Hollywood till who knows when. But what time do the Emmys themselves start? The Emmys, which are being handed out at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday, will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will be aired live across the country on ABC. This year's awards will feature Jimmy Kimmel hosting for the first time.

The Envelope's Gold Standard columnist Glenn Whipp is sweeping through Emmy categories this week, predicting the winners in the top categories. Having already looked at the lead actor races, he turns his attention to the women, for whom the comedy category stands as a much tougher call than its more serious counterpart. Plus, join Whipp and Times television reporter Scott Collins for a Google+ Hangout at 10 a.m. Thursday right here in this space, as they discuss what to look for at the Emmy Awards on Sunday.

Don Mischer is pulling a three-peat. The television director will helm next year's Academy Awards telecast for the third consecutive year, the academy announced Thursday afternoon. Mischer, who also served as producer of the show for the past two years, brings a wealth of experience to the highly anticipated telecast. In addition to the Oscars, Mischer has directed several Super Bowl halftime shows, the Kennedy Center Honors and television specials featuring musical performers such as Barbra Streisand, Justin Timberlake and Yo-Yo Ma. He will executive produce the Emmy awards, which take place Sept.