Academy's old ways die hard

HBO leads all networks in Emmy nominations.
By RICK PORTER
ZAP2IT.COM
"Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" made big Emmy splashes Thursday, and "Scrubs" was finally nominated for best comedy after four years of coming up short. But the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences can't quite seem to shake off its old habits.
HBO led all networks with 93 nominations for the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, but with "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ineligible this year, the pay-cable channel's haul was down significantly from last year's total of 124. CBS led the broadcast networks with 59 nominations, followed by NBC (54), ABC (51) and Fox (49). ABC, CBS and Fox each earned at least 15 more nods than they did in 2004.
"Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" received 27 total nominations -- nearly as many as ABC's entire 2004 total of 33. "Housewives" received 15 nominations, tying for the lead among series with NBC's "Will & amp; Grace," while "Lost" earned 12. HBO's movies "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" and "Warm Springs" led all programs with 16 each.
"Housewives" and "Will & amp; Grace" will vie for outstanding comedy series with last year's winner, "Arrested Development," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Scrubs."
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In addition to "Lost," the contenders for best drama series are HBO's "Deadwood" -- also a newcomer to the category -- and repeat nominees "24," "Six Feet Under" and "The West Wing."
It's here that Emmy voters' resistance to change shows up most glaringly.
While the "24" nomination comes as no surprise -- a number of observers felt the Fox show had its best season since its first -- both "Six Feet Under" and "The West Wing" are no longer the shows they once were.
Three "Housewives" stars -- Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman -- are up for outstanding lead actress in a comedy, along with repeat nominees Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") and Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle").