‘Portlandia’ boosters wryly seek Emmy nomination

The heavy-duty Emmy "for your consideration" onslaught is in full, garish swing.

Network and cable outlets are pulling out all the stops, weighing down the mailboxes of the voting members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with lavish DVD mailers. They're filling the landscape with billboards, bus wraps, newspaper ads and oversized posters touting the award-worthiness of shows such as NBC's "Smash," AMC's "Breaking Bad" and Showtime's "Homeland."

Even a long shot such as NBC's "Whitney" is prominently promoted, despite the fact that it is not a hit with critics or audiences.

Then there's "Portlandia," the IFC sketch comedy series that affectionately skewers Portland, Ore., and its quirky residents.

Lacking the resources to fuel a massive Emmy campaign, the show's supporters are still determined to make themselves heard. Even though the series makes fun of his city, Mayor Sam Adams has offered to help out, pledging to call every TV academy member at home.

Adams is kidding, of course - he's got a few other things to deal with besides putting academy members on speed dial. But he and other Portland boosters are hitting the Emmy campaign trail with "Portlandia" producers to secure a marquee nomination for the series.

"We wanted to do something grass-roots that will reflect on the fun nature of the show," said Blake Callaway, IFC's head of marketing.

A video on IFC's website features Adams asking Emmy voters to "put an Emmy on it," a twist on one sketch that suggested you can put a bird on anything in Portland and call it art. A CD-sized mailer sent to academy members from the city's travel bureau includes a pop-up map that spotlights some of the city's colorful locations, including the In Other Words feminist book store, the craft mecca Crafty Wonderland and Voodoo Doughnut.

"Portlandia" producers, including executive producer Lorne Michaels, realize they are engaged in a David-versus-Goliath pursuit. Broadcasters and studios are spending millions of dollars in their campaigns before the June 28 nomination deadline.

Michaels maintained that the series might be seen as an underdog that might squeeze in among its competitors.

"The show is a critic's darling, so we think we have a viable chance," Michaels said in an interview. "In the IFC universe, it's a 'Modern Family.' It's watched by the industry and smart audiences."

"Portlandia," which has completed its second season, stars "Saturday Night Live" regular Fred Armisen and musician Carrie Brownstein, who play numerous characters in the half-hour show. The series positions Portland as a place where "young people go to retire" and is structured as a comic mash-up satirizing the city's offbeat residents and destinations.

Brownstein said the prospect of an Emmy nomination is "surreal."

"It's a privilege to even allow yourself the fantasy of getting an Emmy nomination," she said. "We feel like outsiders, and we forget there's these external litmus tests. I'm just honored we're considered part of the conversation. It's like sitting at the kids' table and being invited to eat with the adults."