Emmy 2009 Breakdown: Snubs! Surprises! Farrah!

Drilling down into the nominations for the 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards

By Joal Ryan Jul 16, 2009 3:20 PMTags
True Blood, Anna PaquinHBO/ Steve Lippman

You know who was nominated in the top categories, but do you know who wasn't nominated? Do you know which notables scored notable, if more obscure nods?

Now you do:

Twilight fever didn't help True Blood draw much blood. The on-the-rise vampire series scored three overall nods, but was ignored in the acting, writing and directing categories.

"Motherlover" tunesmith Justin Timberlake scored more nominations (three) than Desperate Housewives (two). Yes, the entire series.

The late Farrah Fawcett, who never won an acting Emmy, has a shot at a posthumous trophy for helping produce Farrah's Story, her cancer documentary that's up for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.    

You know what Hugh Jackman got for helping save the Academy Awards? The same thing Jay Leno's Tonight Show got for giving NBC 17 top-rated years. Zip. (Leno did get a nod for an NBC.com show, Jay Leno's Garage.)

Not that David Letterman's gloating—he's too busy outdrawing new Tonight host Conan O'Brien—but his Late Show tied Jon Stewart's Daily Show with five nods, the most for a late-night talk show. (Technically, both shows are variety shows, a genre that was ruled by Saturday Night Live, with 13 nods.)

Was Family Guy, which made history in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, snubbed in the under one-hour Outstanding Animated Program category? Nope. Seth MacFarlane and Fox could only submit the series for a bearth in one race, and they chose Outstanding Comedy Series.  MacFarlane's American Dad, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons and South Park are the toon hopefuls.

How money is Alec Baldwin? You know that Super Bowl Sunday Hulu commercial he did? Emmy nominee.

If Dancing with the Stars' Derek and Julianne Hough are going to win Outstanding Choreography, they're going to have knee-cap the other four nominee groups from So You Think You Can Dance, plus the hopeful from the Academy Awards telecast.

Call in clash of the tween titans: Hannah Montana, iCarly and Wizards of Waverly Place are the nominees for Outstanding Children's Program.

Ignored by Oscar, Gollum guy Andy Serkis has felt the love of Emmy. He's up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in A Miniseries or Movie for his non-CGI turn in Little Dorrit.

Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey were, as is Emmy tradition, not nominated for Grey's Anatomy. The same goes for Katherine Heigl and TR Knight, who, as it turns out, both suffered in vain in the season finale, although the gory two-part episode itself did score an understandable makeup nod.

The big cast of Big Love, up for Outstanding Drama Series, was shut out of the acting races. Ditto for the ensembles of Heroes, CSI, Battlestar Galactica and anything remotely young and pretty on the CW. And, no, you didn't miss Denis Leary's for Rescue Me—he didn't get one.

• Chandra Wilson, who helped reveal this morning's nods, was a double nominee—one for Grey's Anatomy; one for the TV-movie, Accidental Friendship. Others with multiple nominations: Michael J. Fox, Jon Hamm and Tina Fey, all with two each.

Wilson's competition in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie category is about as old-school Hollywood as the Emmys gets: Shirley MacLaine (Coco Chanel); Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, both for Grey Gardens; and, Sigourney Weaver for Prayers for Bobby.

• Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon are married nominees. She's up for The Closer; he's up for the TV-movie, Taking Chance.

ER enjoyed an emotional farewell. From fans, that is. From Emmy voters, not so much. The hospital show, which closed down after 15 seasons, pulled in only two nods, which isn't bad, but a far cry from the days when it pulled in nearly two dozen. The show was denied one last shot at Outstanding Drama Series; its regular cast members were denied shots at the lead and supporting acting categories.

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