Emmy party recap: Showtime and Michael C. Hall celebrate quietly on Saturday

Michael C. Hall, with wife Jennifer Carpenter (who plays his sister on "Dexter"), showed up at Showtime's classy but low-key Emmy party at Craft on Saturday night. Hall was excited about "Dexter's" nomination but not particularly worried about reeling in a win.

"We'll see what happens. If they call my name, I will go up there and get it, but I'm OK if I don't," he said.

Asked about how it feels to go from one immensely popular TV show ("Six Feet Under") to another, he said, "I feel really lucky to have the chance to ride another wave that is equally compelling. I don't remember signing a deal with the devil, but sometimes I wonder."

And he drew a parallel between his own trajectory and that of Alan Ball, who created "Six Feet Under" and moved on to "True Blood."

"Both with 'True Blood' and with 'Dexter,' we are from different perspectives, still surrounded by dead bodies and blood, but the context for both us in both cases is pretty different," he said.

Nearby, "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker, looking slender and fit in a tight black shirt, chatted with friends, while Kevin Nealon and his wife began making their exit. Nealon said that he wasn't sure "Weeds" exactly belonged in the comedy category.

"I don't really see it as a comedy as much as '30 Rock' or 'The Office,' especially when the season ends with a brutal cocaine, mallet bludgeoning," he said. "I think they should find another category for it to be in.  Maybe dramedy-psychadelic-erotica."

Meanwhile, Showtime president Bob Greenblatt was just proud of the network. "Every one of our shows has a nomination, " he said. "So we don't have 25 shows, but for our little slate it's quite an accomplishment."

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo of Micheal C. Hall by Terry Case