Louie Anderson continues the mother of all comebacks

Forget the Golden Age of Television. Louie Anderson has.

“They can talk all they want about the Golden Age of TV, but right now we are in the Platinum Age,” says Anderson, the Las Vegas-based comic and actor who on Thursday earned his second Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Christine Baskets in the FX series “Baskets.” “TV has shot into the stratosphere. Never have we had more programming, more boundaries crossed.”

“It’s like when you go to the Minnesota State Fair, and you have a thousand different food stations. What do you eat first? What are you going to binge on next?”

Minnesota is Anderson’s home state, the reason for reference to that state’s annual fair.

Anderson won his first Emmy last year for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his role as the mother of twins Chip and Dale Baskets, played by co-creator Zach Galifianakis. Anderson is nominated once more in that category, joined by the requisite powerhouse field of nominees: Alec Baldwin (“Saturday Night Live”), Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”), Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Matt Walsh (“Veep”).

As was the case when he was nominated in 2016, Anderson lauded the strength of the competition in his category.

“There are so many talented people out there, we’re just happy to be in that field,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be the little show that could. People are really just now finding the show, too, and it’s gaining momentum.”

The table is still hot for Anderson’s live act, too. His return to Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort on Sept. 15-16 was announced just this week, three days before the Emmy nominations were announced.

“The timing was great, and I love working out at Red Rock. It’s a great room,” Anderson said. “This is all so great, and I’m especially thrilled for Zach. I told him when we started that I believed the show would be great. I’m just proud to be his mother.”

From those behind ‘Absinthe’ …

We have “Heroes,” the under-development production from our friends at Spiegelworld. The company’s “Impresario Extraordinaire,” Ross Mollison, has long hinted at a new show targeted for Las Vegas, where his “Absinthe” remains a pace-setting production.

According to a release sent issued Thursday, “Heroes” is centered on the “secret lives of of bellboys, chambermaids, concierges and guests, each of them a hero, as their stories intersect across physical space and time.” Something to know, off the top: They prefer “bellmen” to “bellboys,” but otherwise, the show seems smart enough. The director is a force: Steven Hogett from “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” two-part stage play that has been a hit on London’s West end for about a year.

“Heroes” is to workshop at St. Ann’s Warehouse near the end of the month. As is the case for all of Mollison’s titles, he’d love to bring the show to the Strip.

In the statement sent by his company Thursday, Mollison said: “From the poetic to the surreal, from the madcap to the heartfelt, this show will reveal the hero that hides inside every soul. Once we see what the July workshop in New York delivers, we will have a better idea of where the show will best fit, from art house to Las Vegas, where we have produced blockbusters before. Las Vegas could be a perfect home for ‘Heroes’ as everyone there, from locals to visitors, is immersed in the hotel experience and we believe ‘Heroes’ will add that human-scale connection.”

Remember that term “blockbusters.” Mollison has always wanted to a Spiegelworld other than “Absinthe” to be a real hit on the Strip. Maybe this is is the heroic effort.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.