Emmy Award Nominees Announced, 30 Rock Appreciation Abounds

Neil Patrick Harris won't take the stage to host the 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards for nearly two more months (the ceremony is scheduled to be broadcast Sept. 20), but the Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the awards this morning.

NBC's 30 Rock leads the comedy crew with a grand total of 22 nominations, while AMC's Mad Men is the drama to watch, with 16 nominations. The shows took home the best comedy and best drama awards, respectively, at last year's event. Other Paste faves, like The Office, Flight of the Conchords, Lost and Weeds, also received considerable recognition from the Academy.

Some previous Academy pet shows, like Desperate Housewives, were snubbed this year. Housewives only received two nominations: one for guest star Beau Bridges and one for excellence in hairstyling. (And really, can you blame them?)

Here are the nominees for the major categories. For a full list, go here.

Best Drama Series:
Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

Best Comedy Series:
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight Of The Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
30 Rock
Weeds

Best Actor in a Drama:
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Laurie, House
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Simon Baker, The Mentalist

Best Actress in a Drama:
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Glenn Close, Damages
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace  

Best Actor in a Comedy:
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Jemaine Clement, Flight Of The Conchords
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men

Best Actress in a Comedy:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Show
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Toni Collette, United States Of Tara
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds