Award Shows, Television
Jul 19, 2012

2012 EMMY NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

The 64th Emmy nominations were announced this morning with Mad Men and American Horror Story leading the pack- each with 17 nominations! The nominations mark the beginning of awards season and the race to the podium.

Other shows boasting a high number of noms include Dowtown Abbey and Hatfields & McCoy with 15 nominations each, followed by Saturday Night Live and Modern Family with 14…apparently funny is always in.

Speaking of funny, newcomers HBO’s Girls and Veep will challenge comedy favorites like 30 Rock, Modern Family, and The Big Bang Theory for Best Comedy Series. On the more serious side of things, shoe-ins like Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Homeland will all face off in the drama department.

Breaking Bad, is a personal favorite of mine and I was happy to see its leading men Bryan Cranston & Aaron Paul were both in the running for individual nominations.

When it comes to surprises, one thing stood out when I was skimming this year’s list- Revenge. This show should definitely be in the the Best Drama Series or at least have scored a few individual nods…can you say Madelaine Stowe, ice queen?  This show is one guilty pleasure I will just have to root for next year. Wouldn’t it be the best revenge to show up and sweep this thing in 2013!

Other snubs included Glee, Parks and Recreation, American Idol and Family Guy. Not to mention Hugh Laurie was passed over for his final Best Actor nom for the final season of House. Luckily  New Girl stars Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield (a pleasant surprise)  scored nominations in their respective categories. In the absence of Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer was nominated for Lead Actor for Two and a Half Men . And although some critics feel  she has not been in nearly enough episodes to warrant a nom, Merrit Wever snagged one for Nurse Jackie. We think she’s a riot!

Even a few A-list movie stars made the list with  Uma Thurman, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman among the nominees for their television movies and guest star roles.

I really hope there is a dance competition between Ryan Seacrest, Betty White, and Tom Bergeron for the best reality show host.

For the fill list of nominees visit Emmys.TV 

The nominations were presented by Scandal’s Kerry Washington and Jimmy Kimmel (in his pajamas!) who will host the Emmy Awards which air September 23rd at 8ET/5PT on ABC.