Emmys 2015: How nominees Viola Davis, Amy Schumer, Jeffrey Tambor are celebrating

-- Meredith Blake

-- Meredith Woerner

"I can be completely honest and tell you how devastating it was last year when we didn't get a nomination. It was really hard. In the beginning of Season 4, the entire team, we all huddled around and made a vow that we'd leave everything on the court in Season 4 and do everything we could to get back on that nomination. We reinvented the show and moved the show to South Africa and we worked as hard as we know how to work. That goal has been achieved so it has been incredibly gratifying. That said, my heart personally goes out to the cast and crew of 'The Americans' and 'The Good Wife, two shows that I watch, both of which had incredible seasons [and were shut out of the best drama category].

"Honestly, we were not expecting it. We were all preparing for Claire [Danes] to be nominated because Claire is Claire. It's hard to get back in the race when you got shut out the year before. It's hard to get back in the front of everybody's minds. We were all gritting our teeth and expecting bad news. So it was so, so nice not to get that."

-- Meredith Blake

Christopher Lloyd was on an Emmy-winning streak when he worked on the beloved sitcom "Frasier," earning five comedy trophies in a row. He'll set a new record (and break his own) if "Modern Family" scores another win for comedy series this year. The show has been criticized for the past few years for becoming usual fodder among Emmy voters, and Lloyd spoke at length about that notion on Thursday, as seen below:

"At this age of our life, in the series, there's a different kind of anticipation on a morning like this where you kind of brace for that moment where everybody's turned on you. It's less a 'wouldn't it be wonderful if' kind of thing you have early in the run as much as 'wouldn't it be terrible if?' Having said that, it's really truly thrilling for us because I think it is harder for us to get nominated for every year. Again for the writers and producers we do take it seriously. We work hard and we try to make sure that we're not just repeating ourselves and push ourselves or just delivering good reliable episodes but push ourselves to do different things, and put the characters in new situations and do things people hopefully have never seen before in a TV comedy.We do invest importance in things like Emmys and we use that as a goad and so when it works out, it's thrilling. It's harder to do every year and everybody feels really delighted and proud when it works out.

"There is a natural tendency among the voters to maybe say 'OK, we've seen that group a lot, let's spread the wealth a little bit' or 'Here's a new show I'm excited about, wouldn't it be exciting to honor a new show rather than a show that maybe seems like old hat?' We don't but that could be the perception a little bit. Again nobody thinks of it as routine at all. We do think of it as something we set as a goal for ourselves. We use it to beat ourselves a little bit, let's not get complacent here. Let's not fall into the usual Season 6 habits. Let's really work to stay fresh because it would be really cool if we were still in the running next year so it's exciting when it works out."

-- Meredith Blake

William H. Macy, a two-time Emmy winner and repeat nominee, was nominated for actor in a drama for a second time playing single dad/alcoholic Frank Gallagher in Showtime's "Shameless." His wife, "American Crime" actress Felicity Huffman, was also nominated on Thursday -- for actress in a limited series or movie.

"It's a grand day in the Huffman/Macy house!" he said. "I was at home [when I found out] and we had just screened my film yesterday. ... So I was in the cutting room and my assistant came in and said, 'Hey, you and Felicity got indicted.' Felicity is in Colorado; she called and said: 'Well, I guess we're gonna have to take a shower!'"

As for why he thinks his despicable character resonates with viewers, Macy said it's because viewers can still find themselves rooting for him.

"It's one of those delicious situations where you play such a despicable guy who does such awful things and yet you find yourself laughing at him and wanting him to succeed -- the rascal that you have affection for -- and I'm a lucky guy to get this role. Nothing is off the table for Frank Gallagher. He's a complete narcissist."

-- Deborah Vankin

ABC's TGIT showrunner Shonda Rhimes applauded the ladies of her female-centric dramas -- "How To Get Away With Murder" star Viola Davis, guest actress Cicely Tyson and "Scandal" guest actress Khandi Alexander.

-- Yvonne Villarreal

The Netflix original series, competing as a drama this year, received nods for supporting actress (Uzo Aduba), guest actor (Pablo Schreiber), casting and drama series.

Los Angeles Times: You've waited nine years for a chance to land awards attention for "The Comeback." Was this a nervous morning?

Lisa Kudrow: Actually, I forgot the nominations were later in the day [at 8:30 a.m. instead of 5:30 a.m.] and I woke up at 8:15 and thought "No messages? I guess it didn't happen."

LAT: And then soon found out otherwise?

Kudrow: Yes, then I realized when I got a text from [co-star] Dan Bucatinsky that said 'Yay,' and then more texts that said 'Yay' and then I got one from ["Friends" costar and "Episodes" nominee] Matt LeBlanc that said 'Yay.' I was in the bathroom when I got that one.

LAT: Is that where you go to text Matt LeBlanc?

Kudrow: There are different parts to the bathroom! It doesn't have to mean the crapper.

-- Steven Zeitchik

Amazon's comedy series “Transparent” got a lot of love from Emmy voters, including a best actor nomination for star Jeffrey Tambor. From his conversation with The Times' Yvonne Villarreal:

Villarreal: There have been a few moments this year that have prompted people to say we are living in an amazing time. Talk about that and how this show fits into that.

Tambor: I had a sort of zeitgeist moment. I woke up this morning and I hadn't heard anything. I live in New York and so I said, “I wonder what time these things are announced?” I thought it used to be really, really early. Right, Yvonne, isn't that true?”

Villarreal: Yes, it used to be 5:30 a.m. on the West Coast and 8:30 a.m. on the East Coast.

Tambor: Right. Oh, that's interesting. Anyway, I turned on the TV and the very first image I saw was of Caitlyn Jenner. I had a news channel on. She was in her beautiful white gown and accepting her award. And I remember thinking, “Wow. What a moment.” And then, of course, my phone blew up with people saying, “Congrats! Congrats! Congrats” I thought that was very signal and very zeitgeisty in terms of the what the world is like right now.

The famously Oscar-snubbed "Selma" star was nominated Thursday for actor in a limited series or movie for his 85-minute solo tour de force in HBO's "Nightingale."

"The fact that HBO picked it up is the biggest award. It's the biggest seal of approval," the British actor told The Times. "We just never made this thinking it would get this level of attention, millions of people having seen it now. The whole thing is incredibly gratifying. This feels great."

Oyelowo said that he's always looking for challenging roles and doesn't discriminate against the medium in which it's presented, adding that he had no criticism of the small screen at the moment.

"TV is having a boom time at the moment. The sheer amount of channels, and how cable is challenging networks, it's really opened up now. Women, men, all ages, all dispositions are being represented in TV because there are so many different outlets and different ways to watch. You can binge an entire show or watch it once a week on TV," he said.

"Film needs to take a leaf out of the TV book especially with diversity and women starring, directing and producing. There is a far more representative view of what it is to be in America from TV [than film]."

-- Tre'vell Anderson

-- Yvonne Villarreal

Maggie Gyllenhaal has been up for awards at the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, and being up for a Primetime Emmy Award feels just as good to "The Honourable Woman" star.

"It always feels great to be nominated for an award," she told The Times over the phone while walking to a meeting in Brooklyn. "There's nobody who doesn't like that. But when you're nominated for something that you feel really proud of, it feels even better because you put something out into the world that's a piece of yourself — that really cost you something. To have other people acknowledge that and say, 'I see you. I get it, and it affected me' — that means a lot.

"I also remember at the SAG Awards seeing everyone from 'Orange is the New Black,' and I think they'd been nominated for best ensemble cast. They were all up on stage together, and as happy as I was to be at the SAG Awards, I just missed Hugo [Blick], who wrote and the directed the show. This time, we can all be there together, and I'm really thrilled."

-- Amy Kaufman

-- Deborah Vankin

In a phone interview with The Times, "Bessie" star Queen Latifah said that it's important to her to be part of more diverse ensembles and creative thinking -- a theme that played out when the nominations were announced on Thursday.

The talk show host and recording artist, who earned a nod for actress in a limited series or movie, said that she tries to provide opportunities and tell stories about African Americans that "show people in a different light."

"[We're] trying to convince people in Hollywood, hey, we can't all be lumped together. You can't stereotype us," she said. "There are so many stories to tell and the more of us who are able to tell stories, the more you see what life is really about, especially in this country. You can knock down the ridiculousness of the past if we're willing to face the present truthfully and honestly and deal with the past as it really was and yet look forward to the future. This is an exciting time, people should be brave, excited. We should look forward to hearing different stories, it's what keeps life interesting. There's room for everyone, that's how it's supposed to be. You do great work you should be honored for that work, it should not be a question of your skin color but it's been like that too long. It's a wonderful thing to see people giving these accolades from the bodies who really mean something in our industry."

-- Meredith Blake

Tituss Burgess of Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" on his nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series: