Hollywoodreporter.com:
Helms is submitting himself for consideration in the category of outstanding lead actor in a comedy, his rep has confirmed. Helms previously submitted as a supporting player for the past six seasons.
This pits the Hangover star against such formidable leading funny-men as 30 Rock’s two-time winner Alec Baldwin, Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory, who won consecutive lead actor trophies in 2010 and 2011, and last year’s first-time surprise nominees Louis CK of Louie and Johnny Galecki of Big Bang.
If Helms wins an Emmy for his role as Dunder-Mifflin’s newly minted office manager Andy Bernard, he’d pull off a feat even Carell couldn’t accomplish during his entire run on the NBC comedy.
It hasn’t happened during his first five tries, not even in 2006 when his NBC sitcom The Office earned an Emmy for top comedy series. Carell was favored that year to win Lead Actor in a Comedy as well. But instead, it went to Tony Shalhoub for USA Network’s Monk. And then to Ricky Gervais for HBO’s Extras in 2007; to Alec Baldwin for NBC’s 30 Rock in 2008 and 2009; and last year, to Jim Parsons for CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. Carell was nominated each time. Which brings us to 2011, and Carell’s last opportunity to bring home the Emmy as the doofus boss Michael Scott, in a role originally played by Gervais on a series originally conceived in Britain. Will this be Steve’s year? If it’s based solely on merit, yes, according to The Office showrunner and fellow performer Paul Lieberstein who says, “He certainly deserves it. I don’t think anyone on television has done as much as Steve has for The Office. No one has consistently driven both comedy and heart the way he has from moment to moment on this show. He can draw you in with tears and, at the same time, make you laugh with a joke. You can go to him as the biggest buffoon and the smartest guy in the room on the same page and make you believe both of them. He’s just so enormously talented that he has my vote.”
