Emmy 2008 Breakdown: Comedy Acting

By Joal Ryan Jul 17, 2008 3:10 PMTags
Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, 30 Rock-SucessionNicole Rivelli/NBC

Yes, Liz Lemon is going to make it, after all.

30 Rock was all over Emmy's comedy acting categories, especially in the guest actor races, where it hogged seven of 10 total nominations.

Star and creator Tina Fey will go for her first acting Emmy in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series against Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine); Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?); America Ferrera (Ugly Betty); and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds).

In the Lead Actor comedy series category, Fey's TV boss Alec Baldwin will go up against The Office's Steve Carell, Two and a Half Men's Charlie Sheen, Monk's Tony Shalhoub and Pushing Daisies' Lee Pace, a first-time nominee.

Curb's Larry David, who was among the field's final eight contenders, as leaked by the Los Angeles Times' Gold Derby blog, didn't make the finals. Californication's David Duchovny and 'Til Death's Brad Garrett also just missed out.

Coming up short in the corresponding actress category, per those leaked semifinal lists, were the likes of Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman, and The Sarah Silverman Program's titular star.

Fear not, though, for Silverman, already in the bad-news way for her breakup with longtime boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel—the comic scored four other Emmy nominations, including one for a guest stint on Monk, and another for helping pen the touching, YouTube-celebrated ode, "I'm F--king Matt Damon."

In the Supporting Actor race, Entourage's Jeremy Piven will go for another win. His competition: series costar Kevin Dillon; How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris; The Office's Rainn Wilson; and Two and a Half Men's Jon Cryer.

30 Rock's big day couldn't help Jack McBrayer and Tracy Morgan, both shut out.

The Supporting Actress lineup looks like this: Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies); Jean Smart (Samantha Who?); Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live); Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men); and Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty).

30 Rock also experienced a rare stumble in this category, with Jane Krakowski missing the cut.

Last year's champ in this race, My Name Is Earl's Jaime Pressly, wasn't even a short-listed finalist this time around, Gold Derby earlier reported.

Poehler's nomination, meanwhile, is a rarity for her late-night show—she's the first SNL performer to score an individual nomination since Will Ferrell turned up in a variety category in 2001.

As mentioned, the guest-acting categories were owned by 30 Rock. The show nabbed four of the five Guest Actor nominations (for Rip Torn, Will Arnett, Steve Buscemi and Tim Conway), and three of the five Guest Actress nods (for Carrie Fisher, Edie Falco and Elaine Stritch).

Crack of the day goes to Arnett, who quipped to E! News: "My parents always told me it was important to be a good guest, so I feel like they deserve the credit."

"I am thrilled to be nominated," Poehler added. "Plus, my date got his own nod! It is a happy day in the Arnett/Poehler household!"

If Poehler and Arnett both win, they'll join nine other married couples, including Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward and William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman, who've both Emmy'd.

Desperate Housewives managed to score two Guest Actress nods (for Polly Bergen and Kathryn Joosten), while Curb Your Enthusiasm earned the lone, non-30 Rock Guest Actor spot for Larry David's TV dad Shelley Berman.