The list of 2008 Emmy nominees are in, and it's starting to look possible that the show's actually making an attempt to legitimize itself. Thanks to the fact that the nominating panel convened for the first time ever to watch screen segments from each of the ten possible nominees from each category, there's a notable reduction in glaring nomination omissions, or unwarranted additions. In other words, the judges didn't sit on their asses and vote only based on the shows they actually watch this time. They got involved, and the results are promising.
This year, “30 Rock” absolutely dominates the guest acting categories, picking up an astonishing seven nominations for those two categories. Additionally, The Wire picks up its second Emmy nomination in the same category as the first in what I think is the strongest category: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. It competes with “Mad Men“, “Damages” and “Battlestar Galactica.”
Other nominees of interest include the domination of John Adams and Recount in the Miniseries and TV Movie categories (plus the welcome addition of the Extras finale), the fact that Tina Fey was nominated for hosting Saturday Night Live and the Original Song and Lyrics category, which pitd light of the Conchords against Sarah Silverman, who was “f***ing Matt Damon.”
LIST OF NOMINEES:
DRAMA SERIES:
“Boston Legal,” ABC
“Damages,” FX
“Dexter,” Showtime
“House,” Fox
“Lost,” ABC
“Mad Men,” AMC
COMEDY SERIES:
“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO
“Entourage,” HBO
“The Office,” NBC
“30 Rock,” NBC
“Two and a Half Men,” CBS
ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie, “House”
James Spader, “Boston Legal”
ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, “Damages”
Sally Field, “Brothers and Sisters”
Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”
Holly Hunter, “Saving Grace”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”
ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “New Adventures of Old Christine”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”
ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Lee Pace, “Pushing Daisies”
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”
Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men”
Kevin Dillon, “Entourage”
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”
Rainn Wilson, “The Office”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Ted Danson, “Damages”
Michael Emerson, “Lost”
Zeljko Ivanek, “Damages”
William Shatner, “Boston Legal”
John Slattery, “Mad Men”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Candice Bergen, “Boston Legal”
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers and Sisters”
Sandra Oh, “Grey's Anatomy”
Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment”
Chandra Wilson, “Grey's Anatomy”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, “Pushing Daisies”
Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live”
Jean Smart, “Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, “Two and a Half Men”
Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty”
REALITY HOST:
Tom Bergeron, ‘Dancing With The Stars'
Heidi Klum, ‘Project Runway'
Howie Mandel, ‘Deal Or No Deal'
Jeff Probst, ‘Survivor'
Ryan Seacrest, ‘American Idol'
REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:
“The Amazing Race,” CBS
“American Idol,” FOX
“Dancing With The Stars,” ABC
“Project Runway,” Bravo
“Top Chef,” Bravo
REALITY PROGRAM:
“Antiques Roadshow,” PBS
“Dirty Jobs,” Discovery Channel
“Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” ABC
“Intervention,” A&E
“Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List,” Bravo
MINISERIES:
“The Andromeda Strain,” A&E
“Cranford,” (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS
“John Adams,” HBO
“Tin Man,” Sci Fi Channel
ACTOR, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Ralph Fiennes, “Bernard And Doris”
Ricky Gervais, “Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale”
Paul Giamatti, “John Adams”
Kevin Spacey, “Recount”
Tom Wilkinson, “Recount”
ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Catherine Keener, “An American Crime”
Susan Sarandon, “Bernard And Doris”
Dame Judi Dench, “Cranford”
Laura Linney, “John Adams”
Phylicia Rashad, “A Raisin in the Sun”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Eileen Atkins, “Cranford”
Ashley Jensen, “Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale”
Alfre Woodard, “Pictures Of Hollis Woods”
Audra McDonald, “A Raisin In The Sun”
Laura Dern, “Recount”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
David Morse, “John Adams”
Stephen Dillane, “John Adams”
Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams”
Denis Leary, “Recount”
Bob Balaban, “Recount”
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES:
Shelley Berman, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Rip Torn, “30 Rock”
Will Arnett, “30 Rock”
Steve Buscemi, “30 Rock”
Tim Conway, “30 Rock”
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES:
Charles Durning, “Rescue Me”
Robert Morse, “Mad Men”
Oliver Platt, “Nip-Tuck”
Stanley Tucci, “E.R.”
Glynn Turman, “In Treatment”
Robin Williams, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES:
Polly Bergen, “Desperate Housewives”
Edie Falco, “30 Rock”
Kathryn Joosten, “Desperate Housewives”
Carrie Fisher, “30 Rock”
Sarah Silverman, “Monk”
Elaine Stritch, “30 Rock”
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:
Ellen Burstyn, “Big Love”
Diahann Carroll, “Grey's Anatomy”
Cynthia Nixon, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
Anjelica Huston, “Medium”
Sharon Gless, “Nip/Tuck”
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL :
Hugh Costello, “Bernard And Doris”
Heidi Thomas, “Cranford”
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, “Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale”
Kirk Ellis, “John Adams”
Danny Strong, “Recount”
DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL:
Bob Balaban, “Bernard And Doris”
Mikael Salomon, “The Company”
Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, “Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale”
Tom Hooper, “John Adams”
Jay Roach, “Recount”
MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE:
“Bernard And Doris,” HBO
“Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale,” HBO
“The Memory Keeper's Daughter,” Lifetime
“A Raisin In The Sun,” ABC
“Recount,” HBO
WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM:
“The Colbert Report”
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
“Late Night With Conan O'Brien”
“Late Show With David Letterman”
“Saturday Night Live”
DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM:
Louis J. Horvitz, “80th Annual Academy Awards”
Jim Hoskinson, “The Colbert Report”
Lonny Price, “Company (Great Performances)”
Chuck O'Neil, “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
Don Roy King, “Saturday Night Live”
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES:
Michael Angeli, “Battlestar Galactica”
Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman, “Damages”
Matthew Weiner, “Mad Men”
Matthew Weiner, Robin Veith, “Mad Men”
David Simon, Ed Burns, “The Wire”
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES:
Arlene Sanford, “Boston Legal”
Vince Gilligan, “Breaking Bad”
Allen Coulter, “Damages”
Greg Yaitanes, “House”
Alan Taylor, “Mad Men”
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN A VARIETY OR MUSIC PROGRAM:
Jon Stewart, Host, “80th Annual Academy Awards”
Stephen Colbert, Host, “The Colbert Report”
David Letterman, Host, “Late Show With David Letterman”
Don Rickles, Performer, “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project”
Tina Fey, Host/Performer, “Saturday Night Live”
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES:
James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, “Flight of the Conchords”
Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky, “The Office”
Bryan Fuller, “Pushing Daisies”
Jack Burditt, “30 Rock”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES:
Dan Attias, “Entourage”
James Bobin, “Flight of the Conchords”
Paul Lieberstein, “The Office”
Paul Feig, “The Office”
Barry Sonnenfeld, “Pushing Daisies”
Michael Engler, “30 Rock”
VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES:
“The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS
“Real Time With Bill Maher,” HBO
“Saturday Night Live,” NBC
VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL:
“Bill Maher: The Decider,” HBO
“George Carlin: It's Bad For Ya!,” HBO
“James Taylor: One Man Band (Great Performances),” PBS
“Kathy Griffin: Straight To Hell,” Bravo
“The Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS
“Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project,” HBO
ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING LESS THAN ONE HOUR):
“Creature Comforts America,” CBS
“King Of The Hill,” FOX
“Robot Chicken,” Cartoon Network
“The Simpsons,” FOX
“SpongeBob SquarePants,” Nickelodeon
ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING ONE HOUR OR MORE):
“Family Guy,” FOX
“South Park,” Comedy Central
“Justice League: The New Frontier,” Warner Bros
The 2008 Emmy Awards will take place Sept. 21 in Los Angeles.
