Emmy nominations announced today

[BillBrasky]

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominations for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards this morning. The awards will air on September 20 on CBS and the show will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
Among the nominees:

.30 Rock, Flight of the Conchords, The Office, and How I Met Your Mother are nominated for Best Comedy Series. Family Guy was also nominated in this category for the first time this year, rather than in the Best Animated Program category. The category is rounded out by HBO's "Entourage" and Showtime's "Weeds."

.30 Rock also got 4 out of the 5 nominations for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, for the episodes "Reunion", "Apollo, Apollo", "Mamma Mia", and "Kidney Now!" The other nominee in the category is the "Prime Minister" episode of "Flight of the Conchords".

.In the acting categories, Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, and Jemaine Clement are nominated for their respective series, along with Charlie Sheen, Tony Shalhoub, and Jim Parsons. Tina Fey and Sarah Silverman will battle it out for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series against Christina Applegate, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Toni Collette, and Mary Louise Parker. For Supporting Actor, it's Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer, Kevin Dillon, Neil Patrick Harris, Rainn Wilson, and Jon Cryer. Supporting Actress nominees are Jane Krakowski, Kristin Chenoweth, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Vanessa Williams, and Elizabeth Perkins.

.Jon Hamm, Steve Martin, Alan Alda, Jennifer Aniston, and Elaine Stritch all got guest acting nominations for "30 Rock". Tina Fey is also nominated for the "SNL Presidential Bash 2008" and Justin Timberlake is nominated for his hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live".

."Late Show with David Letterman", "Real Time with Bill Maher", "Saturday Night Live", The Colbert Report", and "The Daily Show" are nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series. The writing nominations are the same except "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" replaces "Real Time".

.Chris Rock's "Kill the Messenger", Ricky Gervais's "Out of England", and Will Ferrell's "You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush" are nominated for Best Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Louis CK's "Chewed Up" is nominated for Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.

For a complete listing of all the nominees, go here.

[Umlaut]

Tracey Morgan, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Krakowski finally get some love. Kristen Wiig should walk away with Supporting Actress pretty handily, I think, everyone loves her (as they should).

Kind of awkward for Jermaine to get nominated and not Bret...

As far as the Drama categories go, I'm really psyched Aaron Paul got recognized for his excellent work on Breaking Bad this season (as well as Bryan Cranston, duh). Also, Elisabeth Moss, hell yes.

[ASR]

Thinking about it, if I did have to pick one over the other as a better actor, it'd probably be Jemaine. But yeah, that's still awkward for them to have just picked one.

Breaking Bad is totally going to win Outstanding Drama Series. There's just no way it can't.

[scamboogah]

The writing nominations are the same except "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" replaces "Real Time".

Thank god. The Conan O'Brien writers' nomination is always the most entertaining part of the entire show...

[BillBrasky]

The fact that "Family Guy" gets to be nominated for Best Comedy Series and "The Simpsons" doesn't is kind of bull. Not least because as up and down in quality as it is, "The Simpsons" is still a much better show than "Family Guy".

[EAP]

30 rock got a record 22 nominations this year. What do you think the chances are that Louis C.K. will actually win? He's up against the Academy Awards, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and Will Ferrell, so I would say not very good even though I think he deserves it.

I was confused about Family Guy being nominated as well but it turns out it's because they applied to be in that category and the Simpsons didn't.

[BillBrasky]

Well, maybe they figured it was better to stay in a category they have a chance of actually winning, rather than competing against "30 Rock" and "The Office".

Something interesting I noticed while reading the nominees: Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab wrote Hugh Jackman's opening number at the Oscars. It's competing against "Motherlover" from SNL and "Carol Brown" from FOTC.

[Umlaut]

Breaking Bad is totally going to win Outstanding Drama Series. There's just no way it can't.

[ASR]

I have the first season DVD and haven't watched it yet. That was the only show on the list that I thought could offer any real competition. Dexter as well, but that show hit its peak in the first season. It's just that this season of Breaking Bad was some of the most amazing television I've ever witnessed.

[nificenttard]

The fact that "Family Guy" gets to be nominated for Best Comedy Series and "The Simpsons" doesn't is kind of bull. Not least because as up and down in quality as it is, "The Simpsons" is still a much better show than "Family Guy".

Bull? Its an atrocity! What the fuck has the world come to!?

[Berliner]

Oh my god! I don't give a shit about the Emmys, but I came in here as soon as I heard that!

[nadsat droog]

Sepinwall says:

As for the people upset that "Family Guy" was nominated for best comedy when "The Simpsons" never has, keep in mind that "The Simpsons" annually submits itself only in the animation category, so it isn't eligible. (I'm on vacation and therefore don't want to take time looking it up, but I vaguely recall they submitted themselves for best comedy once or twice in the early years, were ignored, and went back to the animation categories for the rest of time. But it's entirely possible that they never bothered.)

[Berliner]

Well then I'm still mad that it got accepted when Simpsons never did when they tried.

[mezmorized]

I'm going to be like Todd Glass and preface that I love Mad Men, but:

Even though when comparing second seasons to their first, Breaking Bad totally owns Mad Men, but it's Mad Men's year. Breaking Bad is no way near as popular as Mad Men is, but that doesn't mean it won't be eventually. I think the proof is that Mad Men got 16 nominations and Breaking Bad got 5. Both are great shows and it's clear that AMC can't be beat when it comes to dramas.

[Umlaut]

I'm not talking personal preference here, just what I think will win. They were both top notch seasons of television, I honestly can't say which I prefered because I loved them both so much it's arbitrary, really.

Mad Men comes across as a more "important" show, which resonates more with people voting on "important" awards, so it should win again.

But then again, it was Boston Legal's last season..... (the Emmys are very stupid)

Oh, also, I really wish that Chris Lilley had been nommed for Summer Heights High.

I honestly don't know why I care about this shit.

[mezmorized]

The fact that "Family Guy" gets to be nominated for Best Comedy Series and "The Simpsons" doesn't is kind of bull. Not least because as up and down in quality as it is, "The Simpsons" is still a much better show than "Family Guy".

This might explain why they weren't nominated:

The creators of “The Simpsons” submitted their series a few times in the best comedy category in the 1990s but stopped after they failed to get a nomination.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/ar...ref=television

[BillBrasky]

Emmy roundtable with Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Christina Applegate, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mary-Louis Parker and Jane Krakowski

[BillBrasky]

I guess they're going to do one of these for each of the other nominees:

Flight of the Conchords



The Office

[aenemaTron]

Ugh... why didn't you warn me? Not just unfunny, unfunny and sickeningly violent.

[BillBrasky]

Here's the rest of them, if anybody cares:

30 Rock



How I Met Your Mother



Entourage