‘30 Rock’ leads Emmy nominations

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tina Fey’s urbane sitcom “30 Rock” received a record 22 Emmy Award nominations Thursday, and the 1960s retro series “Mad Men” led the drama pack with 16 bids.

The shows were honored last year as best comedy and drama and have a chance to repeat the performance at September’s awards. “30 Rock” broke the record it set last year, when it received 17 nominations.

The TV movies “Grey Gardens,” with 17 nominations, and “Into the Storm,” with 14 nominations, were among the front-runners. Chandra Wilson of “Grey’s Anatomy” and Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” helped make the announcement at the TV academy’s theater — and both proved to be among the lucky.

“No! ... This is some sort of trick fest,” said Parsons, when his nomination for lead actor in a comedy series was announced.

“I feel a little dreamlike right now,” Parsons said later about his first-time Emmy nomination.

“I’m going to the party” was Wilson’s response to her bid for lead actress in a miniseries or movie for “Accidental Friendship.” She was also nominated for supporting actress in a drama series for “Grey’s Anatomy.”

In a sad tribute, “Farrah’s Story,” a documentary account of Farrah Fawcett’s battle against cancer, was nominated in the nonfiction special category. The former “Charlie’s Angels” star died June 25.

“It’s very bittersweet. Farrah passed away three weeks ago today,” said Alana Stewart, who helped film her longtime friend. “I know that she would be so, so happy. This was so important to her, this project. She’s been nominated before, and I just know that this would be the most important one of all.”

The number of contenders in series and acting categories was expanded this year, which may have allowed room for some unexpected bids, including a rare best comedy series nomination for an animated series, “Family Guy.”

Even long-running “The Simpsons” had to settle once again for inclusion in the category designated for animated programs. Only one animated program besides “Family Guy” has gained a nomination among filmed comedies — “The Flintstones” in 1961.

The series fields are especially crowded, with seven contenders in both drama and comedy categories. Joining “Mad Men” are fellow cable dramas “Big Love,” “Breaking Bad,” “Damages” and “Dexter.” Two network dramas, “House” and “Lost,” also made the cut.

Among comedies, the nominees besides “30 Rock” and “Family Guy” include other network series “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Office.” Cable contenders include “Entourage,” “Flight of the Conchords” and “Weeds.”

In announcing that the traditional five nominees would grow to six in top categories, the TV academy noted that a tie could expand the field even more.

Affection was scarce for series that came to an end last season, including long-running medical drama “ER,” “Boston Legal” and “Battlestar Galactica.” There was a scattering of nominations among them, but nothing in the marquee categories of acting or best series. Another just-ended series, “The Shield,” was shut out.

Also snubbed for major awards were “Desperate Housewives” and “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” left out of the reality series category. Top-rated TV show “American Idol” is a contender in the reality-competition category.

NBC found little glory in its late-night lineup, with Jay Leno’s final season with “Tonight” and Conan O’Brien’s farewell season of “Late Night” missing from the variety, music or comedy series category. O’Brien took over as “Tonight” host this year.

Car-buff Leno drew a nomination for online series “Jay Leno’s Garage,” nominated in the short-format nonfiction program category.

Vampire saga “True Blood” and its star, Anna Paquin, who won a Golden Globe earlier this year, were shut out of the major categories.

Academy voters have a history of slighting sci-fi and fantasy series, dating back to “Star Trek” and including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Nominees in major categories for the 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Full list is available at www.emmys.com:

Drama Series: “Big Love,” HBO; “Breaking Bad,” AMC; “Damages,” FX Networks; “Dexter,” Showtime; “House,” Fox; “Lost,” ABC; “Mad Men,” AMC.

Comedy Series: “Entourage,” HBO; “Family Guy,” Fox; “Flight of the Conchords,” HBO; “How I Met Your Mother,” CBS; “The Office,” NBC; “30 Rock,” NBC; “Weeds,” Showtime.

Miniseries: “Generation Kill,” HBO; “Little Dorrit” PBS.

Made-for-TV Movie: “Coco Chanel,” Lifetime; “Grey Gardens,” HBO; “Into the Storm,” HBO; “Prayers for Bobby,” Lifetime; “Taking Chance,” HBO.

Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad,” AMC; Michael C. Hall, “Dexter,” Showtime; Hugh Laurie, “House,” Fox; Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment,” HBO; Jon Hamm, “Mad Men,” AMC; Simon Baker, “The Mentalist,” CBS.

Actress, Drama Series: Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC; Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer,” TNT; Glenn Close, “Damages,” FX Networks; Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men,” AMC; Holly Hunter, “Saving Grace,” TNT.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Christian Clemenson, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad,” AMC; William Hurt, “Damages,” FX Networks; Michael Emerson, “Lost,” ABC; John Slattery, “Mad Men,” AMC.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Rose Byrne, “Damages,” FX Networks; Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment,” HBO; Hope Davis, “In Treatment,” HBO; Cherry Jones, “24,” Fox.

Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS; Jemaine Clement, “Flight of the Conchords,” HBO; Tony Shalhoub, “Monk,” USA; Steve Carell, “The Office,” NBC; Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock,” NBC; Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

Actress, Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS; Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?” ABC; Sarah Silverman, “The Sarah Silverman Program,” Comedy Central; Tina Fey, “30 Rock,” NBC; Toni Collette, “United States of Tara,” Showtime; Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds,” Showtime.

Source: Associated Press