Michael C. Hall tells us it's a great feeling being nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Emmy honors for his work on "Dexter" — but admits the nod is something he never expected to receive for playing a serial killer.

"I think all of us on the show wondered if that kind of recognition would come for us given the nature of the show. It was a real thrill," adds Hall, whose series is also an Outstanding Drama nominee in the 60th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards, airing Sunday night (9/21) on ABC. "You don't do it for that reason, but there's no denying the sense of validation that comes when you're recognized that way."

Having "Dexter's" first season air on network television certainly played a role in raising his and the show's visibility. "CBS responded to the lack of programming during the writers' strike by airing the first season in a somewhat modified form," he reminds. "I think that exposed a lot more viewers to the show and may have in fact helped attract viewers to Showtime to watch other episodes."

Now, with the Sept. 28 premiere of the show's third season quickly approaching, the former "Six Feet Under" star tells us there's a lot more drama in store. Of course there's also the addition of Jimmy Smits.

"He plays a character who is very involved in Dexter's life. That's been a really interesting relationship to explore," says Hall of working with Smits.

"Pretty much everything that shook Dexter's world up during the course of the second season has been resolved. The FBI investigation is over, Doakes (Erik King) is dead, Lila's (Jaimie Murray) dead, so there are new developments in Dexter's personal life as far as his relationship with Rita (Julie Benz) and this emerging relationship with Miguel Prado (Smits)," he adds.

As for Dexter himself, Hall says he continues to be "very, very complex and conflicted. That's a blessing when you're playing someone on a TV show. It's an open-ended commitment," Hall notes. "It has the potential for evolution, growth and change in who the character is, which is nice because I spend a lot of time with him."

SOMETHING FUNNY GOING ON: Has standup comedy gotten meaner than, say, 10 years ago? Not in the opinion of Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada, who finds that now as in the past, "For every kind of taste of human beings, there's comedy out there. But we don't want hatred. If someone crosses the line, they're not welcome back. Michael Richards, the time he was in my club saying the N-word, I told him, do not come to the club anymore."

So Richards is still not welcome, almost two years later?

"No," says Masada.

The comedy impresario has the grand opening of his latest Laugh Factory, at the Pike in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday (9/20) with the likes of Dane Cooke, Jamie Kennedy, Jon Lovitz, Paul Rodriguez, Bob Saget and Brad Garrett coming around "to do a few minutes." Masada tells us he got invites from NYC (where he already has a club), Las Vegas and Atlanta — and met with mayors and city officials before making a decision. He felt that in the case of Vegas, "You've got so many attractions, you could get lost there." As far as Atlanta, "Jamie Foxx and Chris Tucker have been involved with me. They told me to go there." But the LBC won out in the end for reasons including its proximity to Los Angeles. Masada plans to do TV shows from his new, $10 million facility (he says the Laugh Factory has two new shows in development, in addition to its "Superior Court of Comedy" — and a standup comedy feature film in the works as well), and feels prospects are good for putting on comedy festivals there.

"A lot of people want to have comedy shows, they put up a microphone and a spotlight, and that's it. They don't have respect for comedians. I love comedians. This club has everything first class — large stage, lighting, sound system, mahogany … and the only Standup Comedy Hall of Fame in the world."

DOWN WITH THE SHIP: When the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" troupe was doing its thing in the early '90s, their idea of fan interaction consisted of, well … "We had an answering machine. We put the number up onscreen and asked people to call. We thought we were very tech-savvy," recalls founding member Josh "J. Elvis" Weinstein. Even so, the show, seen on what would eventually become Comedy Central, had such an avid following, "We had a corps of hardcore fans who maintained their fandom through the years. Most moved on, as people usually do after a show is cancelled."

Now that the mischief-makers are back as "Cinematic Titanic" — their third new offering, "Legacy of Blood," comes out on DVD Oct. 3 — it's a whole new scene. "We've started going to fan conventions, have our message board on our site," Weinstein says. "It's an amazing world to make content in right now, because the speed of feedback is so exponentially faster than before."

The group, which riffs comedically on bad old movies, is taping three more episodes next week — then will head out for some live dates, including shows in St. Louis, Minneapolis and Chicago.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Keisha Whitaker, host of TLC's "Who Are You Wearing," tells us that one of the things she finds makes her show stand apart from other reality competitions is that the contestants "were very forthcoming, very emotional and friends." She goes on, "I spent quite a bit of time with them — I popped in and surprised them a bunch — and I got to see their personalities. I walked in one day and found a young guy helping one of the moms. If someone was better at making rosettes and another at seaming, they would help each other. It was so great to see — nobody got negative."

With reports by Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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