It’s not surprising the same names keep coming up in these contests, since there are so few comedies on TV these days.

As usual, Alec Baldwin and the cast of 30 Rock go up against Steve Carell and the cast of The Office in the Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series categories, respectively.

There’s every possibility, however unfair, that Jeremy Piven and the cast of Entourage could send both home winless.My money’s on Baldwin and The Office. My heart is on Carell and 30 Rock.

Weeds is up in the comedy series category, too, as is star Mary Louise Parker for Outstanding Actress, though my heart and money are on Tina Fey, but only by a little.

The 15th Annual SAG Awards airs Jan. 25 on TNT and TBS.

Speaking of SAG, by the way, OfficeTally has sifted through and pulled out all the Office folks from the list of some 130 actors opposing a strike by the union. Really? After what a hoot last year’s WGA strike was?

One curious omission struck me: Jenna Fischer.

Could be because she’s been busy. According to Variety, she’s exec-producing “an hourlong comedic drama about a lumber salesman who solves a crime and becomes a private eye, along with a ragtag group of pals.”

Ragtag? Really?

Rainn Wilson is branching out too, according to the piece. He’s partnering with Adam Braff on Hump Tulips, “about a lawyer who winds up in a small Washington town in pursuit of the woman he loves.”

Both projects are through Universal, as in NBC Universal.

And since I mentioned 30 Rock, I’ll just point out that Salma Hayek’s first episode has been shot, and she reportedly found Alec Baldwin to be quite a handful. The Sun, via BuddyTV, got the scoop.

“Salma plays my mother’s nurse and I find out I have testicular cancer.  She shoves her hands down my pants and that was the first episode I shot with Salma,” he said.

Here’s the recap for any Dunderheads who’ve been under a rock the last couple of days. I’m just going to throw my two cents in as I go along.

NEWS: SNL‘er and Tina Fey’s best bud Amy Poehler, aka Mrs. Will Arnett, is the new Michael Scott. She’ll be heading up the spin-off that is set to launch following next year’s Super Bowl. It won’t be a true spin-off but more like a “from the makers of” kind of deal. They’re even poaching writers from The Daily Show. (Sources: THR | AP | Nikki Finke | Ausiello | Some blogger)

REACTION: Best. News. Ever. Seriously, she’s one of the funniest people on television. She’s married to and best friends with two people who share that claim. She’ll be leading a rebranding of my favorite show ever. She joins Human Giant’s Aziz Ansari as the only cast members announced so far, but that’s 2 for 2 in my book.

The idea that Baby Mama made Poehler a bankable star is a little laughable, but whatever it took to convince the suits that she rocks is cool with me.

I love that they’re taking the formula that worked with The Office of building the show around a big but not gigantic name with a hard-core comedy resume (a la Steve Carell). And I love that it’s a woman because women are funny too. I know that’s not a newsflash, but women don’t seem to get all the show-biz breaks men do, which means less funny in the world for me to enjoy.  Yes, it’s all about me.

Who’ll replace Poehler at SNL? Who cares. That show is the Michael Myers of its medium. It’ll be fine. A better question is how will Poehler’s pregnancy affect the February launch?

The idea of a spin-off never worked for me. Here’s why: the original is a mockumentary, even if it seems showrunner Greg Daniels and Co. occasionally forget that. A spin-off mockumentary sounds like the stupidest idea in the world. There are two endless documentaries being filmed simultaneously? And if the spin-off isn’t a mockumentary, how can it be borne out of and co-exist in the world with a show that is one? To me, it’s like trying to spin an animated comedy off from a live-action variety show. (Doh! OK, it’s like doing that again.)

The fact that GD won and the NBC suits lost the battle of “to spin or not to spin” confirms, first, that whoever he was arguing with has no soul or a tiny brain, and second, that GD is on our side. Or we’re on his side. Whichever.

I suspect that this is what he and his crew had in mind all along, or at least since about 10  minutes after they got together in a room to brainstorm spin-off ideas.

Daniels: OK crew, I need ideas and I need them fast. Whaddaya got?

...silence…

Mindy Kaling: This is stupid.

BJ Novak: Yeah, let’s just make a new show.

Daniels: Good call. But let’s break it to them slowly so they think it’s their idea.

Paul Lieberstien: Did anyone bring Fritos?

Steve Carell got another nod for best comic actor (that hopefully Alec Baldwin won’t win over him this time).

Rainn Wilson got a supporting actor nod, and John Krasinski didn’t (and yet Ari and Drama from Entourage did).

Jenna Fischer is nowhere to be seen. Neither is Amy Ryan.

30 Rock and The Office are both up for best writing in a comedy.

REACTION: What can I say? Fischer’s omission probably isn’t as criminal as in past years, but she should have a couple of Emmys on her mantle by now. Krasinski, too.

I can’t make a convincing case why Carell deserves a win over Baldwin, but I’d really love to see Carell recognized for the amazing work  he continues to do. Just rewatch “Goodbye, Toby” to see what I mean. (Seriously, follow that link and watch it. Best 42 minutes of your day, I bet.)

As for the show itself (don’t shoot me), 30 Rock was consistently better this past season. That said, I won’t be disappointed if either wins. If Two and a Half Men wins, though, I’m selling my TV and moving to Dubuque.

Since they submitted “Dinner Party,” my money’s on The Office for the writing award. 30 Rock is being recognized as the Worldwide Leader in Stuntcasting with seven of the 10 guest actor/actress noms, but there is no way to justify Amy Ryan’s snub after her brilliant turn as Holly Flax in The Office finale.

Lastly, how is Pushing Daisies a comedy? And Samantha Who? who???

Other Office stuff I found lying around

Ricky Gervais chatted with Comcast but forgot to ask about my inflated bill.

John Krasinski moonlights as a bartender (and yes, that’s where he and Karen ate dinner in “The Job.”

No one is cooler than Darryl.

Mose. Baby Mose. Regis. You’re welcome.

‘I can’t be bothered with your petty small talk.’

Mindy is in Scranton tomorrow. Go!

The bad: I swear the only reason “The Wire” isn’t among the best drama nominees is because lazy Emmy voters—i.e. most of them—never saw the show. Despite a phenomenal fifth and final season, it’s only up for one writing award. Its only other nomination, also for writing, was back in 2005.

Geez. Where’s the acting love for Lance Riddick (Daniels), Clarke Johnson (Gus), Michael K. Williams (Omar) or Sonja Sohn (Kima)? The only rationale for no acting nominations I can think of is that so many talented “Wire” actors have split the vote over the last five seasons.

“John Adams” led the Emmy nomination pack with 23, and “Mad Men” (17) and “Damages” (16) were the first basic-cable series to be up for top drama.

I’m sure you’ll hear more Emmy commentary from many of us in the weeks to come before the Sept. 21 broadcast, but here’s the crucial info you need to know.

Drama: “Boston Legal,” “Damages,” “Dexter,” “House,” “Lost” and “Mad Men.”

Comedy: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Entourage,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Two and a Half Men.”

Best actor—drama: Gabriel Byrne (“In Treatment”), Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”), Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”), Hugh Laurie (“House”) and James Spader (“Boston Legal”).

Best actress—drama: Glenn Close (“Damages”), Sally Field (“Brothers and Sisters”), Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Holly Hunter (“Saving Grace”) and Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”).

Best actor—comedy: Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”), Steve Carell (“The Office”), Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies”), Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”) and Charlie Sheen (“Two and a Half Men”).

Best actress—comedy: Christina Applegate (“Samantha Who?”), America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”), Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) and Mary-Louise Parker (“Weeds”).

And here’s the complete list of 2008 Emmy nominees.

UPDATE: More good news/bad news, this time in the category of best supporting actress in a comedy series. A long-overdue and well-deserved nod has been given to “Saturday Night Live’s” Amy Poehler, but how in the world is Jenna Fischer snubbed for her work on “The Office”? Instead, the category includes Jean Smart for “Samantha Who?” and Holland Taylor on “Two and a Half Men.” As Poehler herself on Weekend Update would say, “Really?!”

(Photo courtesy of Fox.)

My personal choices for the top 5 in each are in bold. The top 10s are:

Top 10 Comedy Series Finalists

Top 10 Drama Series Finalists

So much for the Remote Access poll being a race between “Deadwood” and “The Sopranos.”

I suspect linkage and some campaigning were responsible for the sudden surge among devout “John from Cincinnati” fans—who evidently exist—thus propelling the one-season-and-out show from one vote on Wednesday to 167 votes this morning.

With 58 percent of all those cast, “JFC” soared ahead of “Deadwood,” which led the poll Wednesday with 47 votes (16 percent), followed by the 23 votes tallied for “The Sopranos” (8 percent).

To be fair, I didn’t hate “JFC” as much as I have conveyed in recent months; I liked the first three episodes and was a staunch defender of many of its cast members, especially Ed O’Neill, whom I described as “jaw-droppingly spectacular (and) equally adept at making the audience laugh and cry, often within the same scene.” Plus, it allowed for comebacks for Rebecca De Mornay (pictured) and Luke Perry, so that’s pretty cool.

But to give that show the movie green-light over “Deadwood” or “The Sopranos” makes me wonder if “John” fans really ever watched those other series—especially “Deadwood,” which had the benefit of not only the same creator and most cast members but also linear plots that made friggin’ sense by each season’s end.

“Carnivàle”—the third HBO show in the Top 4 that was canceled before the series had a chance to wrap things up—finished with eight votes. Two other series, “Entourage” and “Oz,” and a cruel suggestion for “None of the above” tied for fifth with seven votes.

“The Wire” grabbed six votes, followed by “Flight of the Conchords” with five.

Check out the rest of the poll results—and the latest Remote Access poll question—after the break.

“Rome” collected four votes. Earning two votes apiece were “Big Love,” a “Sex and the City” sequel, “Six Feet Under” and (ahem) “G-String Divas.” Perhaps Richard Lewis was the only one to vote for a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” movie.

Receiving no votes were “Da Ali G Show,” “Extras,” “In Treatment,” “Lucky Louie” and “Tell Me You Love Me.”

The new Remote Access poll is a simple one: Which series had the best season finale?

We’re starting you off with the fall and spring shows that Remote Access regularly covers and have come to a conclusion at this point, but feel free to add and vote on your own suggestions. We’ll keep this poll open for a couple of weeks, after which we’ll poll readers on the worst finale—perhaps resulting in “Lost” winning both polls.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

PETA is holding its annual Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity contest, and here’s the stars from Remote Access shows who are in the running (sorry if I missed anyone!) — and you can vote for one woman and one man, so you can choose your favorite two:

The women

The men

With “SatC” scoring mixed to tepid reviews, only two of the 65 votes tallied sought a sequel. At this point, the poll is really a duel between “Deadwood” and “The Sopranos.” And there are compelling cases for each.

“Deadwood,” whose 19 votes represent 29 percent of the total, was—in this blogger’s humble opinion—one of the best shows on television and deserved a proper sendoff. Viewers initially expected four full seasons, then were crushed by news of the show’s cancellation after three. And HBO’s promise of two, two-hour “Deadwood” TV movies never came to fruition, leaving devout fans furious with the cable net, especially since the equally brilliant and equally ratings-challenged “The Wire” had a chance to say good-bye.

Adding insult to injury have been the subsequent HBO projects by “Deadwood” creator David Milch. In its only season, “John From Cincinnati” should only be celebrated for Ed O’Neill’s outstanding performance and the cameos by actors better known (and utilized) on “Deadwood.” And when Milch could have demanded to film the “Deadwood” TV movies or a fourth season before other projects while renegotiating his contract with HBO, he agreed to helm “Last of the Ninth,” a not-”Deadwood” show about a Vietnam vet working in the New York Police Department in the early ‘70s. The latter series could be great, but “Deadwood” fans would never stop grumbling if there’s no closure in the Black Hills.

“The Sopranos,” with 15 votes representing 23 percent of the total, had a controversial ending that made millions of viewers wonder if the cable cut out before the credits started rolling. It was, perhaps, the most non-ending ending in television history. To the tune of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” three of the four members of the Soprano (biological) family gathered around the table of a diner while semi-suspicious characters hovered around them. And when Meadow arrived, the camera cut to Tony’s face.

And, uh, that was it.

Was Tony Soprano killed? Is he alive? WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!

So say creator David Chase were to consider a more definitive conclusion. He’d be faced with either selling out for developing a movie adaptation or copping out because of his inaccessible TV finale. Regardless, tell me “Sopranos” fans wouldn’t see the movie follow-up in droves.

After the break (or in the right margin), check out where many other HBO series stand in this poll. And vote if you haven’t already!

After “Deadwood” and “The Sopranos,” “Entourage” is third in the poll with six votes. Fourth is the reader-submitted “None of the above,” which five haters of quality television supported.

Tied for fifth with four votes are “Flight of the Conchords” and “Oz.” “Oz” could be more movie-ready, but “Conchords” could be intriguing as a movie musical.

With three votes and in sixth place is “Carnivàle,” another canceled HBO series whose fans contend deserved a better fate.

Two votes so far have been cast for a “Sex in the City” sequel and “The Wire.” As separate movies, of course. I think combining the two would result in the world coming to a swift and painful end.

Earning a vote apiece are “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “John from Cincinnati” (really?), “Rome” and “Six Feet Under,” the last of which needs no movie because it’s the best series finale in TV history. A clever and/or lonely reader submitted and voted for “G-String Divas,” whose plot, I’m guessing, would be negotiable.

Receiving no votes were “Big Love,” “Da Ali G Show,” “Extras,” “In Treatment,” “Lucky Louie” and “Tell Me You Love Me.” But there are still a few days to change that.

(Photo of Ian McShane: AP Photo/Reed Saxon; photo of James Gandolfini: AP Photo/Chris Pizzell.)

With 27 percent of the vote, the “30 Rock” character’s real-life counterpart, Tina Fey, was crowned TV’s hardest worker by Remote Access’ loyal readers. She’s also a writer and exec producer for the show and—with apologies to the amazing Amy Poehler—arguably the headliner of “Baby Mama,” which debuted at No. 1 at the box office. (In retrospect, Poehler’s no slacker, either. Perhaps I should have added her to the list of nominees.)

Fey defeated some stiff competition, and just edged out fellow Must-See TV star Steve Carell, who helms “The Office” and collected 26 percent of the votes. In third was “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest (21 percent), followed by “Lost” guru JJ Abrams (17 percent), Oprah Winfrey (12 percent) and reader-nominated “Flavor of Love” star Flavor Flav (2 percent).

Now time for a new poll: With the “Sex and the City” movie debut approaching, what’s the next HBO series that should be made into a feature-length film?

Lots of intriguing options here, including shows that were allowed to come to unusual conclusions (“The Sopranos”), others that remain on-air (“Entourage”) and still others that deserved a proper sendoff (“Deadwood,” anyone?).

Feel free to add your own nominees, as long as “Arli$$” isn’t one of them. (OK, even Arli$$, if you must.)

(Photo by Heidi Gutman for NBC/Universal.)

Leighton Meester—the bright-tight and headband-wearing, super-bee-yotch Blair Waldorf—  is signed up to hang with Vinnie Chase and the gang on HBO’s “Entourage.”

E!’s Kristin Dos Santos confirmed that Meester will reprise her first season role as Justine Chapin, a Britney-esque pop singer with the hots for Vince, for at least one episode.

Now, I didn’t watch “Entourage” when it first kicked off, but I’m guessing that a little bit of Blair’s deviousness may rub off on Justine this time around. What fun!

And if you’re wondering when “Entourage” will be back—its original June launch date was affected by the writers’ strike—I hear that Season 5 is set to premiere on Sept. 28.

(Photos courtesy of the CW and HBO) 

If you do know what I’m talking about, I’ll help you pass the time by sharing my favorite passage from the song:

They call me the Hiphopopotamus
Flows that glow like phosphorous
Poppin’ off the top of this esophagus
Rockin’ this metropolis
I’m not a large water-dwelling mammal
Where did you get that preposterous hypothesis?
Did Steve tell you that, perchance?
Steve.

I like this part, too:

Other rappers dis me
Say my rhymes are sissy.

Why? Why? Why?
What?
Why exactly?
What? Why?
Be more constructive with your feedback, please. Why?
Why?

Sorry, got sidetracked from the actual NEWS, which is that HBO’s hilarious and criminally underrated Flight of the Conchords is coming back next year.

From Bret and Jemaine’s myspace blog:

All of you: Flight of the Conchords, will there be a season two?
Us: How did you find us here?

All of you: If there is a second season at all, when will it air?
Us: Please, how did you find us here? How did you rally together like this?

All of you: Answer the question.
Us: Yes we are working on season two of the show, it looks like it will air in January of next year.

Fans of HBO’s usual slate of summer staples will have to wait until the fall for new episodes. As a result of the writers’ strike, the fifth season of Entourage, along with original episodes of Big Love, Flight of the Conchords, and its new vampire series, True Blood, will not premiere until the fall.

The summer will bring us the seven-episode miniseries Generation Kill from David Simon and Ed Burns, of the late, lamented The Wire.

We’ll also get two late-night Friday series, The Life and Times of Tim and Summer Heights High.

The former is 10 episodes of an “animated series about an average guy whose instincts repeatedly lead him down the wrong path.” The latter is an eight-episode Australian hit about high-school life:

focusing on three characters: Mr. G, a self-important, high-strung drama teacher; Jamie, a haughty, private-school female exchange student spending the year at Summer Heights High; and Jonah, a delinquent, break-dancing obsessed student struggling to stay in school. Series creator and writer Chris Lilley plays all three lead roles.

Photos and images courtesy of HBO.

Set to air sometime this summer (all the site says right now is “July”), the seven-episode miniseries is about “the new face of American war.” It’s based on the book by a Rolling Stone writer who spent two months embedded with the Marines 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Simon and Burns wrote the screenplay and produced, but they’re not directing. That’s left to two Brits.

Then, Entourage will be back (yay!) in September (would have been June if not for the strike). Original plans to satirize the strike, according to E!Online’s Watch with Kristin, have been scrapped. Plus, when they return, our boy Johnny Drama’s show will have shot 54 eps and Eric will have THREE clients (including Vince, I assume) and his very own assistant, Kristin says. Show creator Doug Ellin says he has four more seasons of our boys in mind, a total of eight seasons, Kristin said.

Then, there’s a bunch of other shows that HBO has in recent weeks announced it’s picking up.

The cable network has partnered with the Weinstein Co. (the guys who started Miramax back in the day) and the BBC to produce The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

It’s based on a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith. The two-hour pilot already has been filmed, in Botswana. Another 13 one-hour episodes will begin filming this summer.

Here’s how HBO described the books:

“The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” is a poignant and passionate book series chronicling the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, the eminently sensible and wise proprietor of the only female-owned detective agency in Botswana. Aided by her highly efficient yet rather peculiar secretary Mma Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe investigates cases, helps people solve problems in their lives, and begins a special friendship with the highly respectable owner of a local garage.

Then there’s Driving Around with Joni, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s “about an eccentric, successful 40-year-old widow” who “spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband.

Previously announced pickups are David Milch’s new “gritty cop drama” Last of the Ninth (how about going back to Deadwood, instead?) and Darren Star’s Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl, a comedy “about relationships and sexuality.”

Will I watch any of these? I have to say that, right off the bat, only Generation Kill really appeals to me. Last of the Ninth could be good, but I have to decide if I want to check out a cop drama and if I’m still ticked off at Milch for how Deadwood ended. Or didn’t, as the case may be.

Anyone else?

Image courtesy of HBO.

What better reason for giddiness, though, than word that 30 Rock’s Tina Fey will host the return episode of SNL, where she was formerly head writer, on Feb. 23? Juno star Ellen Page hosts a week later.

SNL, the only late night show not to air for the entirety of the strike, hasn’t been appointment TV for me in about a decade and a half, but my DVR is already set for this one. It is likely to be the first show to return from the strike.

At the other extreme, The New York Times reports, The Office won’t be back with new episodes until April 1o, contradicting Toby Flenderson’s earlier optimism (Remote Access, Feb. 10).

Greg Daniels, executive producer of “The Office,� said, “We’re going to do another six [episodes],� though he added, “We might be able to squeeze in seven if NBC asks for them.�

“The Office� had a script ready to shoot the week the strike began, and that will be the first one the show produces. A second script was going to be the Christmas show. “We’re going to throw that one out,� Mr. Daniels said. He added that the writing team would discuss this week how to advance the show’s story lines.

“I’m tempted to just leap ahead to where we would have been,� Mr. Daniels said.

30 Rock’s return is dependent upon Alec Baldwin’s availability due to a movie commitment, but NBC Entertainment chief Ben Silverman hopes to squeeze in five new episodes before season’s end.

Meanwhile, Journeyman, my favorite new show of the interrupted season, remains in limbo at least until fall lineups are announced in May. Limbo’s a better fate than I had presumed for it, so that’s something. Entourage, another favorite of mine, won’t be back before the fall.

Enjoy:
• Variety reports that every freakin’ network is trying to set up some sort of celebrity-themed circus show. Remember Circus of the Stars from back in the ‘80s (OMG, I loooooved watching that each year!)? Well, ABC appears to have snagged that one. CBS and Fox apparently “have also expressed interest in the celeb circus format.”
• NBC has already green-lit a show called Celebrity Circus for six episodes. NBC Veep Craig Plestis ‘splained: “This show will draw our favorite celebrities out of their comfort zone and into a stunning and magical circus environment that allows them to showcase their unseen skills. It’s a fresh concept … and is unlike anything else currently in the TV landscape.” The versions in Portugal and Argentina are huge hits.
• Adrian Grenier appears to be channeling his alter ego from Entourage, dating Kim Kardashian, BuddyTV.com reports. Maybe. “According to a Hollywood source, Kardashian and Grenier have been on-again-off-again lovers for some time now. They reportedly spent some time in Mexico in early December, and ‘they’ve been in touch and seeing each other on the sly ever since.’” Though he may be in a relationship — or not —with La Lohan. Oy.

In other horrible reality TV news, the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire folks are teaming with the The World’s Strongest Man competition folks to create The World’s Strongest Celebrity. I wish I could say right here, “KIDDING!” but I can’t. Variety reported this today or yesterday or some other day that I’ve totally wiped from my memory. Strongest Man has been around for 30 years and currently airs on ESPN2. Where will Strongest Celebrity air? That isn’t clear yet. Man “is known for over-the-top events such as the airplane pull, the log lift and the fridge carry. It’s expected celebs will be asked to pull off modified versions of such challenging feats.” Help us all.

So, just for kicks, what Strongest Celebrity matchups would you like to see? Here’s a few to start you off:

• Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland v Chuck Norris in the information extraction. Jack Kiefer wins, by the way.

• Tina Fey v Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the coffee toss; who can throw their Greek diner to-go coffee cup further?

So I snagged the Remote Accessories’ Golden Globes picks from a previous post and reworked it to make it easy for you to see our picks and our predictions for each of the television categories. Come back later to see how right (or wrong) we were.

Will 30 Rock and Damages walk away with armfuls of trophies? Stay tuned.

Here we go:

Best TV drama:

Best TV comedy or musical:

Best actress in a TV drama:

Best actor in a TV drama:

Best actor in a TV comedy:

Best actress in a TV comedy:

Best supporting actress/TV:

Best supporting actor/TV:

Winners will be named at a swanky dinner Jan. 26 at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in LA.Here they are:

Movies for Television/Miniseries

JON AVNET
The Starter Wife
(USA)

JEREMIAH CHECHIK
The Bronx Is Burning
(ESPN)

LLOYD KRAMER
Oprah Winfrey Presents Mitch Albom’s For One More Day
(ABC)

MIKAEL SALOMON
The Company
(TNT)

YVES SIMONEAU
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
(HBO)

Dramatic Series Night

JACK BENDER
Lost – “Through the Looking Glass”
(ABC)

DAVID CHASE
The Sopranos – “Made in America”
(HBO)

ERIC LANEUVILLE
Lost – “The Brig”
(ABC)

ALAN TAYLOR
Mad Men -”When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Pilot)”
(AMC)

TIM VAN PATTEN
The Sopranos – “Sopranos Home Movies”
(HBO)

Comedy Series

MICHAEL ENGLER
30 Rock – “Rosemary’s Baby”
(NBC)

DAVID GROSSMAN
Desperate Housewives – “Something’s Coming”
(ABC)

BETH McCARTHY-MILLER
30 Rock – “Somebody to Love”
(NBC)

DAVID NUTTER
Entourage – “The Resurrection”
(HBO)

BARRY SONNENFELD
Pushing Daisies – “Pie-lette”
(ABC)

Musical Variety

JERRY FOLEY
Late Show with David Letterman – Show #2773
(CBS)

LOUIS J. HORVITZ
The 79th Annual Academy Awards
(ABC)

JIM HOSKINSON
The Colbert Report – #3052
(Comedy Central)

CHUCK O’NEIL
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
(Comedy Central)

GLENN WEISS
The 61st Annual Tony Awards
(CBS)

Reality Programs

CRAIG BORDERS
Who Wants To Be A Superhero – “Episode 208”
(Sci-Fi)

TONY CROLL
Shooting Sizemore – “Episode 101”
(VH-1)

SCOTT MESSICK
Pros vs. Joes – “Episode 201”
(Spike)

TONY SACCO
Project Runway – “Fashion Giant, #403”
(Bravo)

BERTRAM VAN MUNSTER
The Amazing Race – “Episode #1110”
(CBS)

Daytime Serials

LARRY CARPENTER
One Life To Live – “Episode #9947”
(ABC)

CASEY CHILDS
All My Children – “Episode #9669”
(ABC)

CHRISTOPHER GOUTMAN
As The World Turns – “Episode #12971”
(CBS)

SCOTT McKINSEY
General Hospital – “Episode #11228”
(ABC)

ELLEN WHEELER
Guiding Light – “Episode #15221”
(CBS)

Documentary

KEN BURNS & LYNN NOVICK
The War
Florentine Films

ALEX GIBNEY
Taxi to the Dark Side
Jigsaw Productions

ASGER LETH
Ghosts of Cite Soleil
Sony BMG Feature Films

RICHARD E. ROBBINS
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
The Documentary Group

BARBET SCHROEDER
Terror’s Advocate
Magnolia Pictures

Children’s Programs

PAUL HOEN
Jump In
(Disney Channel)

KENNY ORTEGA
High School Musical 2
(Disney Channel)

FRED SAVAGE
Wizards of Waverly Place – “The Crazy 10 Minute Sale”
(Disney Channel)

JUDITH VOGELSANG
Going Green – Every Home An Eco-Home
(PBS)

ANDY WOLK
Lincoln Heights – “That Feeling That We Have”
(ABC Family)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Michael Keaton / James Jesus Angleton – The Company (TNT)
Kevin Kline / Jacques – As You Like It (HBO)
Oliver Platt / George Steinbrenner – The Bronx is Burning (ESPN)
Sam Shepard / Frank Whiteley – Ruffian (ABC)
John Turturro / Billy Martin – The Bronx is Burning (ESPN)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Ellen Burstyn / Posey Benetto – Mitch Albom’s For One More Day (ABC)
Debra Messing / Molly Kagan – The Starter Wife (USA)
Anna Paquin / Elaine Goodale – Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (HBO)
Queen Latifah / Ana – Life Support (HBO)
Vanessa Redgrave / Woman – The Fever (HBO)
Gena Rowlands / Melissa Eisenbloom – What If God Were the Sun? (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini / Tony Soprano – The Sopranos (HBO)
Michael C. Hall / Dexter Morgan – Dexter (Showtime) (my pick)
Jon Hamm / Don Draper – Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie / Dr. Gregory House – House (FOX)
James Spader / Alan Shore – Boston Legal (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Glenn Close / Patty Hewes – Damages (FX) (my pick)
Edie Falco / Carmela Soprano – The Sopranos (HBO)
Sally Field / Nora Walker – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Holly Hunter / Grace Hanadarko – Saving Grace (TNT)
Kyra Sedgwick / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – The Closer (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin / Jack Donaghy – 30 Rock (NBC) (my pick, though Carell is a close second!)
Steve Carell / Michael Scott – The Office (NBC)
Ricky Gervais / Andy Millman – Extras (HBO)
Jeremy Piven / Ari Gold – Entourage (HBO)
Tony Shalhoub / Adrian Monk – Monk (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate / Samantha Newly – Samantha Who? (ABC)
America Ferrera / Betty Suarez – Ugly Betty (ABC)
Tina Fey / Liz Lemon – 30 Rock (NBC) (my pick)
Mary-Louise Parker / Nancy Botwin – Weeds (Showtime)
Vanessa Williams / Wilhelmina Slater – Ugly Betty (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boston Legal (ABC)
The Closer (TNT)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC) (my pick)
The Sopranos (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 Rock (NBC)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC) (my pick – close, but as an ensemble, The Office slightly edges out 30 Rock)
Ugly Betty (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
24 (FOX) (my pick – c’mon, what’d you think I’d choose?)
Heroes (NBC)
Lost (ABC)
Rome (HBO)
The Unit (CBS)

Screen Actors Guild Awards 44th Annual Life Achievement Award
Charles Durning (He’s done so much on TV as well as movies, so I figured I’d include him here. Most recently on the small screen, he’s been playing Tommy’s dad (that’s even how he’s credited!) on Rescue Me. By the by, did you know he was born in Highland Falls, just outside the LoHud, by West Point?)

Well, my fellow Remote Accessories and I have had a chance to mull these over and here’s some of our picks (and predictions) for winners, after the break

Brian:
Best TV drama: Big Love (should win), Mad Men (will win)
Best TV comedy or musical: 30 Rock (should/will)
Best actress in a TV drama: Edie Falco, The Sopranos (should win), Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (will win)
Best actor in a TV drama: Hugh Laurie, House (will win), Bill Paxton, Big Love (should pick)
Best actor in a TV comedy: Steve Carell, The Office (should win), Ricky Gervais, Extras (will win)
Best actress in a TV comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock (should/will win)
Best supporting actress/TV: Abstains out of disgust at Jenna Fischer’s snubbing
Best supporting actor/TV: Ted Danson, Damages (will win), Jeremy Piven, Entourage (should win)

Chris:
Best TV drama: House (will win), Mad Men (should win)
Best TV comedy or musical: 30 Rock (should win), Extras (will win)
Best actress in a TV drama: Glenn Close, Damages (should/will win)
Best actor in a TV drama: Michael C. Hall, Dexter (should win), Hugh Laurie, House (will win)
Best actor in a TV comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (will win), Steve Carell, The Office (should win)
Best actress in a TV comedy: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (will win), Tina Fey, 30 Rock (should win)
Best supporting actress/TV: Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters (will win), Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (should win)
Best supporting actor/TV: William Shatner, Boston Legal (will win), Adam Baldwin, Chuck (NOT NOMINATED BUT MY PICK ANYWAY!) [Amy note: I concur!]
Best actress in a TV miniseries or movie: Bryce Dallas Howard, As You Like It (should win; gotta support LoHudders!), Debra Messing, The Starter Wife (will win)

Heather:
Best TV drama: Damages (should win), House (will win)
Best TV comedy or musical: Pushing Daisies (should/will win)
Best actress in a TV drama: Glenn Close, Damages (should/will win)
Best actor in a TV drama: Hugh Laurie, House (should/will win)
Best actor in a TV comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (should/will win)
Best actress in a TV comedy: Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? (will win), America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (should win)
Best supporting actress/TV: Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy (will win), Jamie Pressly, My Name Is Earl (should win)
Best supporting actor/TV: Ted Danson, Damages (should/will win)

Amy:
Best TV drama: Big Love (should win), Mad Men (will win)
Best TV comedy or musical: 30 Rock (should win), Pushing Daisies (will win)
Best actress in a TV drama: Glenn Close, Damages (should/will win)
Best actor in a TV drama: Michael C. Hall, Dexter (will win), Bill Paxton, Big Love (should win)
Best actor in a TV comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (should win), Steve Carell, The Office (will win)
Best actress in a TV comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock (should win), Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies (will win)
Best supporting actress/TV: Rose Byrne, Damages (should/will win)
Best supporting actor/TV: Kevin Dillon, Entourage (should win), Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money (will win)

So how about you? Who do you think should win and will win? See this post for a list of all the nominees.

Here’s a look at who the (striking) Writer’s Guild of America nominated for its annual awards (just the TV nominees):

Dramatic series:
Dexter, written by Scott Buck, Daniel Cerone, Drew Z. Greenberg, Lauren Gussis, Kevin Maynard, Clyde Phillips, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattman; Showtime
Friday Night Lights, written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Carter Harris, Elizabeth Heldens, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Andy Miller, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, John Zinman; NBC
Mad Men, written by Lisa Albert, Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Tom Palmer, Chris Provenzano, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC
The Sopranos, written by David Chase, Diane Frolov, Andrew Schneider, Matthew Weiner, Terence Winter; HBO
The Wire, written by Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, William F. Zorzi; HBO

Comedy series:
Curb Your Enthusiasm, written by Larry David; HBO
Entourage, written by Marc Abrams, Lisa Alden, Michael Benson, Brian Burns, Doug Ellin, Alex Gansa, Tim Griffin, Dusty Kay, Stephen Levinson, Ally Musika, Wes Nickerson, Rob Weiss; HBO
The Flight of the Conchords, written by Damon Beesley, James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Eric Kaplan, Bret McKenzie, Iain Morris, Duncan Sarkies, Paul Simms, Taika Waititi; HBO
The Office, written by Steve Carell, Jennifer Celotta, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Anthony Farrell, Brent Forrester, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Koh, Lester Lewis, Paul Lieberstein, B.J. Novak, Michael Schur, Justin Spitzer, Gene Stupnitsky, Caroline Williams, Larry Wilmore; NBC
30 Rock, written by Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Ron Weiner; NBC

New series:
Damages, written by Jeremy Doner, Mark Fish, Davey Holmes, Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, Willie Reale, Adam Stein, Aaron Zelman, Daniel Zelman; FX
The Flight of the Conchords, written by Damon Beesley, James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Eric Kaplan, Bret McKenzie, Iain Morris, Duncan Sarkies, Paul Simms, Taika Waititi; HBO
Mad Men, written by Lisa Albert, Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Tom Palmer, Chris Provenzano, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC
Pushing Daisies, written by Chad Gomez Creasey, Dara Resnik Creasey, Bryan Fuller, Abby Gewanter, Jim Danger Gray, Lisa Joy, Kath Lingenfelter, Rina Mimoun, Jack Monaco, Scott Nimerfro, Peter Ocko; ABC
The Sarah Silverman Program, written by Dan Fybel, Rich Rinaldi, Rob Schrab, Jon Schroeder, Sarah Silverman, Dan Sterling, Harris Wittels; Comedy Central

Episodic drama (any length – one airing time):
Final Grades (The Wire), Teleplay by David Simon; Story by David Simon & Ed Burns; HBO
The Second Coming (The Sopranos), Written by Terence Winter; HBO
The Round File (The Closer), Written by Michael Alaimo; TNT
Flashes Before Your Eyes (Lost), Written by Damon Lindelof & Drew Goddard; ABC
The Hobo Code (Mad Men), Written by Chris Provenzano; AMC
The Dark Defender (Dexter), Written by Tim Schlattmann; Showtime

Episodic comedy (any length – one airing time):
Pie-Lette (Pushing Daisies), Written by Bryan Fuller; ABC
The Job (The Office), Written by Paul Lieberstein & Michael Schur; NBC
Negotiation (30 Rock), Written by Matt Hubbard; NBC
Local Ad (The Office), Written by B.J. Novak; NBC
Phyllis’s Wedding (The Office), Written by Caroline Williams; NBC
Sally Returns (The Flight of the Conchords); Written by James Bobin & Jemaine Clement & Bret McKenzie; HBO

Long form, original (over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times):
Pandemic, Written by Bryce Zabel & Jackie Zabel; Hallmark Channel
The Lost Room, Night One, Teleplay by Laura Harkcom & Christopher Leone; Story by Christopher Leone & Paul Workman. Nights Two and Three, Written By Laura Harkcom & Christopher Leone; Sci-Fi Channel

Long form, adaptation (over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times):
The Company: A Story of the CIA, Teleplay by Ken Nolan, Based on the novel by Robert Littell; TNT
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, Teleplay by Daniel Giat, Based on the book by Dee Alexander Brown; HBO
The Starter Wife (Nights 1&2), Teleplay by Sara Parriott & Josann McGibbon, Based on the book by Gigi Levangie Grazer; USA

Animation (any length – one airing time):
The Haw-Hawed Couple (The Simpsons), Written by Matt Selman; FOX
The Homer of Seville (The Simpsons), Written by Carolyn Omine; FOX
Kill Gil Volumes 1&2 (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; FOX
Stop or My Dog Will Shoot! (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; FOX
The Passion of the Dauterive (King of the Hill), Written by Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May; FOX
Lucky’s Wedding Suit (King of the Hill), Written by Jim Dauterive; FOX

Comedy/variety (including talk) series:
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Head Writer Steve Bodow, written by Rachel Axler, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, J.R. Havlan, Scott Jacobson, D.J. Javerbaum, Rob Kutner, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, Jason Reich, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central
The Colbert Report, written by Bryan Adams, Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Peter Grosz, Peter Gwinn, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Laura Krafft, Frank Lesser, Tom Purcell, Allison Silverman; Comedy Central
Late Night with Conan O’Brien, writers Mike Sweeney, Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Dan Cronin, Kevin Dorff, Daniel J. Goor, Michael Gordon, Tim Harrod, Berkley Johnson, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O’Brien, Robert Smigel, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg; NBC
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, written by Penn Jillette, Teller, David Weiss, Jon Hotchkiss, Michael Goudeau, Star Price, Sheryl Zohn, Cliff Schoenberg; Showtime
Real Time With Bill Maher, written by Scott Carter, David Feldman, Lance Crouther, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Jonathan Schmock, Danny Vermont; HBO
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Seth Meyers, Paula Pell, Andrew Steele, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, James Downey, Charlie Grandy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Matt Murray, Paula Pell, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, Robert Smigel, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketch By Jim Cashman; NBC

(No nominations this year in the Comedy/Variety – Music, Awards, Tributes – Specials category.)

Daytime serials:
All My Children, written by James Harmon Brown, Barbara Esensten, Megan McTavish, Addie Walsh, Chip Hayes, Stephen Demorest, Michelle Patrick, Amanda L. Beall, Jeff Beldner, Karen Lewis, Rebecca Taylor, Marla Kanelos, Courtney Bugler, Joanna Cohen, Kate Hall; ABC
As the World Turns, written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Christopher Whitesell, Courtney Simon, Anna Theresa Cascio, Lisa Connor, David A. Levinson, Gary Sunshine, Bettina Bradbury, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Judy Donato, Mimi Leahey, Elizabeth Page Judy Tate; CBS
General Hospital, written by Robert Guza, Jr., Elizabeth Korte, Michael Conforti, Garin Wolf, David Goldschmid, Michele Val Jean, Mary Sue Price, Karen Harris, Susan Wald, Tracey Thompson; ABC
The Young & the Restless, written by Lynn Marie Latham, Scott Hamner, Jeff Gottesfeld & Cherie Bennet, Bernard Lechowick, James Stanley, Natalie Minardi Slater, Lynsey Dufour, Marina Alburger, Sara Bibel, Paula Cwikly, Janice Ferri Esser, Eric Freiwald & Linda Schreiber, Joshua McCaffrey, Sandra Weintraub; CBS

Children’s episodic & specials:
Look Whose Not Talking (Flight 29 Down), Written by D. J. MacHale; Discovery Kids
Nat is a Stand Up Guy (The Naked Brothers Band), Written by Polly Draper; Nickelodeon

Children’s script – long form or special:
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It, Written by Billy Brown and Dan Angel; Cartoon Network
Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, Teleplay by Ann Austen & Douglas Sloan and Max Enscoe & Annie deYoung, Story by Ann Austen & Douglas Sloan; Disney Channel

Documentary – current events:
The Enemy Within (Frontline), Written by Lowell Bergman & Oriana Zill De Granados; PBS
News War Part 1: Secrets Sources and Spin (Frontline), Written by Raney Aronson-Rath and Lowell Bergman & Seth Bomse; PBS
News War Part 3: What’s Happening to the News? (Frontline), Written by Stephen Talbot & Lowell Bergman; PBS
Return of the Taliban (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
Security vs. Liberty: The Other War (America at a Crossroads), Written by Edward Gray; PBS
Spying on the Home Front (Frontline), Written by Hendrick Smith & Rick Young; PBS

Documentary – other than current events:
Alexander Hamilton (American Experience), Written by Ronald Blumer; PBS
Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (Independent Lens), Written by Robert Levi and Robert Seidman; PBS
Forgotten Genius (Nova), Written by Stephen Lyons & Llewellyn M. Smith; PBS
The War, Episode Four: Pride of Our Nation, Written by Geoffrey C. Ward; PBS

Here’s a look at the (television only) nominees, with my picks noted (as well as what I think will actually win):

Best TV drama:
Big Love (my pick — this season was outstanding!)
Damages
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Mad Men (what I think will win)
The Tudors

Best TV comedy or musical:
30 Rock (my pick)
Californication
Entourage
Extras
Pushing Daisies (will win)

Best actress in a TV drama:
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Glenn Close, Damages (my pick/will win)
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best actor in a TV drama:
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (will win)
Hugh Laurie, House
Bill Paxton, Big Love (my pick)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors

Best actor in a TV comedy:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (my pick)
Steve Carell, The Office (will win)
David Duchovny, Californication
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

Best actress in a TV comedy:
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (my pick)
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies (will win)
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Best supporting actress/TV:
Rose Byrne, Damages (my pick/will win)
Rachel Griffith, Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy
Samantha Morton, Longford
Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jamie Pressly, My Name Is Earl

Best supporting actor/TV:
Ted Danson, Damages
Kevin Dillon, Entourage (my pick)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Andy Serkis, Longford
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money (will win)

Best TV miniseries or movie:
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
The Company
5 Days
The State Within
Longford
(no selection, as I saw none of these)

Best actress in a TV miniseries or movie:
Bryce Dallas Howard, As You Like It
Queen Latifah, Life Support
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Sissy Spacek, Pictures of Hollis Woods
Ruth Wilson, Jane Eyre
(no selection, as I only saw The Starter Wife and, as enjoyable as it was, I find it hard to believe it was the best performance out of these)

Best actor in a TV miniseries or movie:
Adam Beach, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jim Broadbent, Longford
Ernest Borgnine, A Grandpa for Christmas
Jason Isaacs, The State Within
James Nesbitt, Jekyll
(no selection, as I saw none of these)

Meanwhile, what if they held an awards show and no one came?

The Golden Globes awards show is scheduled for Jan. 13 on NBC. Variety reported this week that the show requested a waiver from the Writer’s Guild of America for the telecast, but that was unlikely to be granted. And during the strike in 1980, Powers Boothe was the only winner who showed up to the Emmy Awards (he got one for his role in Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones.)

Stay tuned.

And coming later this morning: The Writer’s Guild of America’s own television nominees.

TVGuide.com today reported that no one is quite sure what might happen to Entourage in the whole mess that is the writer’s strike.

Rex Lee, who plays the long-suffering Lloyd (assistant to Ari Gold, played so fabulously by Jeremy Piven) on our favorite HBO comedy (that once meant something to say), told a reporter in Vegas (for the opening of a huge Planet Hollywood resort) over the weekend that he’d been told only “three or four” scripts had been completed before the strike began.

Lee laments the fact that the show has been his big break, and now, even if the writer’s strike ends, the Screen Actors Guild has potential to go on strike next summer. So that could screw things up all over again.

“Everyone’s … trying to be philosophical about it,” he told TVGuide.com.

Associated Press photo/Isaac Brekken 

HBO announced this week that a totally logistically complex series, In Treatment, stars Gabriel Byrne as a psychotherapist and premieres Jan. 28 at 9:30 p.m.

This is how it’ll go: New episodes air each night, Monday through Friday, at 9:30 p.m. The same patient returns on the same day each week; Byrne’s patients will be played by Josh Charles and Embeth Davidtz (a couple, Jake and Amy), Melissa George (Laura), Blair Underwood (Alex) and Mia Wasikowska (Sophie).

HBO describes Byrne’s character, Paul, as “a taciturn but effective psychotherapist who isn’t quite the level-headed source of wisdom his patients think he is.”

Each new episode each week will be preceded at 9 p.m. by the previous week’s episode, to catch up.

The shows will also air on HBO Signature in “real time,” i.e. the times and days of the patients’ appointments:
• Monday, 9 a.m., Laura
• Tuesday, 10 a.m., Alex
• Wednesday, 4 p.m., Sophie
• Thursday, 6 p.m., Jake and Amy
• Friday, 7 p.m., Paul sees his own therapist, Dr. Gina Toll, played by Dianne Wiest.

HBO2 also will play the show in other hours on the same days and ever Saturday and Sunday, they’ll be shown in blocks.

The show’s got some pedigree, beyond the cast, with these executive producers:
• Rodrigo Garcia, who’s directed episodes of Big Love and Six Feet Under
• Hagai Levi, who created the Israeli series this one’s based on, called BeTipul
• Stephen Levinson and Mark Wahlberg, who also exec prod Entourage

Associated Press photo by Aaron Harris

He directed the “Pie-lette” for the ABC fantasy dramedy Pushing Daisies and may direct future episodes.

It was announced this week that he’s directing an untitled drama pilot for NBC, which’ll star Alan Tudyk and Andrew Lincoln. Here’s what The Hollywood Reporter had to say about the show:

The legal thriller from Universal Media Studios revolves around unapologetic lawyers at a prestigious New York civil firm, who will do whatever it takes to win their high-profile cases and outmaneuver one another.

Tudyk, by the by, is late of Firefly and its spinoff film, Serenity, where he played the hotshot pilot Wash. Lincoln might be most recognizable to American audiences as Mark in the Hugh Grant film Love Actually. (Mark was the bloke in love with his best friend’s new wife.) Tudyk’s lawyer is “slick” and “gregarious” and “will work all the angles” to make it to the top. Lincoln’s character is “soulful” and has “a true sense of justice.” Oh, “and a hidden past.” Plus, they’re in love with the same woman.

The nameless show is supposed to begin production Oct. 22.

But that’s only the tip of the Sonnenfeld TV iceberg.

He’s also directing the pilot of Hackett, which will air on Fox. Here’s what THR had to say about that:

“Hackett” ... centers on a bad-boy literary luminary (Donal Logue) who escapes his disgraced career teaching at Yale only to find himself among the ultra-PC ranks of teachers at an Ohio public high school.

Logue is a true comedic talent, having starred in last season’s dearly departed Knights of Prosperity and, before that, Grounded for Life. Tony winner (for Jersey Boys) Christian Hoff will play the vice principal, “a frustrated wannabe writer and Hackett’s nemesis.”

Then there’s The Kingdom, which inspired a bidding war among the networks over the summer. CBS won.

THR says it’s “a Middle Ages drama set in Europe’s world of castles, kings and typhoid fever.” And it’s been described, apparently, as a “medieval Entourage.”

It revolves around four guys, one of whom is crowned king and reluctantly takes the throne despite preferring drinking and sex to procession and war.

Heck, who could blame him?

Both photos from Associated Press: Logue photo by Adam Rountree, Sonnenfeld by Jan Bauer.

McShane (pictured), who deserved his Golden Globe and far better fates for his portrayal of lead Al Swearengen, told Cinematical’s Ryan Stewart the following:

“I just got a call (Sept. 28) from … a dear friend of mine, who told me that they’re packing up the ranch. They’re dismantling the ranch and taking the stuff out. That ship is gonna sail. Bonsoir, Deadwood. ... We all (feel cheated). It was one of those one-off jobs that you do which has got an extraordinary creative brain behind it, and it kept getting better, and the actors were great. ... But everything has to come to an end, babe.”

Anger doesn’t encapsulate the swirling emotion I’m feeling; it’s closer to fury. I also feel disappointed, hurt, sad and betrayed by the way this situation was handled. And, perhaps most alarmingly, I feel a level of acceptance—as if I knew all along that HBO and anyone else responsible for the death of “Deadwood” would disappoint me as a viewer, fan and paying subscriber.

The series lasted three seasons. Even the wildest fans were realistic enough to hope for just one more to tie up the loose ends. After all, “Six Feet Under” got that privilege the year before it went off the air. Most “Deadwood” fans begrudgingly accepted when HBO pledged two, two-hour movies to achieve that goal. A single spray of Pledge has made more progress on dead wood.

I guess I should be pleased about the rare instances in which TV execs make the right decisions about quality shows on the bubble. Despite early struggles, the folks at NBC recognized how brilliant “Seinfeld,” “The Office” and “30 Rock” were, in the same way that Fox—to a certain degree—extended its leash for “Arrested Development” until it could no longer justify its ratings. Even “Jericho” got a final-hour reprieve on CBS.

While it’s understandable that network TV, whose profits are advertising-driven and thus far more reliant on ratings success, is more likely to can critical series with limited viewership, HBO, whose profits depend on subscribers’ monthly payments, never has alienated so many with one premature cancellation. (Sorry, “Carnivàle” fans. “Deadwood’s” viewers are louder, are more devout and have more support among TV critics.)

Despite a unique approach, flashes of clever writing and the engrossing Ed O’Neill, “John from Cincinnati” was comparatively a disaster, especially among “Deadwood” fans who knew—no matter how HBO brass or David Milch tried to spin it—that it was hogging time, money and no fewer than eight brilliant actors better applied to “Deadwood”: Dayton Callie (Steady Freddy Lopez on “John”/Charlie Utter on “Deadwood”), Garrett Dillahunt (Dr. Michael Smith/Francis Wolcott and Jack McCall), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe/Ellsworth), Paula Malcomson (Jerri/Trixie), Stephen Tobolowsky (Mark Lewinsky/Hugo Jarry), Peter Jason (Car Salesman/Con Stapleton… ha!), Keone Young (The Chinaman/Mr. Wu) and Austin Nichols (John Monad/Morgan Earp).

Salt in the wound: Milch once said in so many words that he envisioned “Deadwood” lasting four seasons; with the resources spent on the one-season-and-out “John,” HBO could have put a capper on the most brilliant dramatic series of the 21st century and few would have complained. Glass in the wound: Production continues on Milch’s next H-B-Opus, which will only alienate bitter “Deadwood” fans further due to their disdain for “John” and pretty much anything lacking the Gem Saloon.

While “Flight of the Conchords,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Entourage” help maintain HBO’s comedic identity, no longer is the pay-network a beacon of water-cooler conversation for the best dramas (plural) on television, as recent successes “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under” and “Rome” have all come and gone; only “The Wire” gives the network that kind of dramatic cred these days. Its poor ratings have been comparable to those of “Deadwood,” yet “The Wire” remains on the air.

If McShane’s statements are true, the death of “Deadwood” hereby negates one of HBO’s proudest slogans: “It’s not TV. It’s HBO.” HBO has become the very “TV” over which it claimed superiority.

Not just because “Deadwood” is finished, but because of the way it was finished.

(Photo by AP/Reed Saxon)

But just keep scrolling to check out the list of locals to root for when those envelopes are opened…

Here’s our list of locals up for Emmy Awards tonight, along with their LoHud connections:

* Edie Falco, “The Sopranos,” Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. (She’s a Purchase College graduate.)

* Felicity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives,” Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. (She was born in Bedford. Fun fact: She’s married to fellow nominee William H. Macy, who’s up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his turn in “Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King” — Umney’s Last Case)

* Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty,” Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. (She’s a Chappaqua resident.)

* Lorraine Bracco, “The Sopranos,” Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. (She’s a longtime Sneden’s Landing homeowner.)

* Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos,” Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. (He grew up in Mount Vernon and Brewster.)

* Kevin Dillon, “Entourage,” Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. (He was born and raised in Mamaroneck.)

* Aidan Quinn, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. (He lives in Sneden’s Landing. Fun fact: He’s married to Elizabeth Bracco, the sister of fellow nominee, Lorraine!)

Congratulations, LoHudders—and good luck!

(Photos courtesy of FOX, HBO, ABC)

Well, leave that to the staff of Remote Access. We spent hours (read: minutes) poring over every show (read: title of every show) in every category (read: major categories), trying not only to predict Emmy winners, but also the Emmys winners we want to see. Again, we might not have seen every show, but we’re using our best judgment at all times. Brief commentary from some of the Remote Access staffers, whom I call Accessories, is in parentheses.

Play along and post your opinions in the comments section. And check back in Sunday night to keep up with my live-blog of the Emmy telecast!

Drama Series: “Boston Legal,” ABC; “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; “Heroes,” NBC; “House,” Fox; “The Sopranos,” HBO.

•Amy is predicting “The Sopranos” but is rooting for “Heroes.â€?
•Brian is predicting “The Sopranos” and is rooting for “The Sopranos.”
•Chris is predicting “The Sopranos” and is rooting for “The Sopranos.”
•Georgette is predicting “The Sopranos” but is rooting for “House.”
•Heather is predicting “The Sopranos” and is rooting for “The Sopranos.”
•Jenny is predicting “The Sopranos” but is rooting for “House.”

Comedy Series: “Entourage,” HBO; “The Office,” NBC; “30 Rock, NBC; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; “Ugly Betty,” ABC.

•Amy is predicting “Ugly Betty” but is rooting for “30 Rock/The Office.” (“Sue me, this is a tough one.”)
•Brian is predicting “Ugly Betty” but is rooting for “The Office.”
•Chris is predicting “Ugly Betty” but is rooting for “30 Rock.” (“I love ‘The Office’ equally, but ‘30 Rock’ needs the Emmy more to survive.”)
•Georgette is predicting “30 Rock” and is rooting for “30 Rock.” (“And ‘Two and a Half Men.’”)
•Heather is predicting “Ugly Betty” but is rooting for “The Office.”
•Jenny is predicting “The Office” but is rooting for “Entourage.”

Miniseries: “Broken Trail,” AMC; “Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; “The Starter Wife,” USA.

•Amy is predicting “Broken Trail” but is rooting for “The Starter Wife.” (“I make no apologies.”)
•Brian is predicting “The Starter Wife” and is rooting for “The Starter Wife.”
•Chris is predicting “Broken Trail” and is rooting for “Broken Trail.”
•Georgette is predicting “Prime Suspect: The Final Act” and is rooting for “Prime Suspect: The Final Act.”
•Heather is predicting “Prime Suspect: The Final Act” and is rooting for “Prime Suspect: The Final Act.”
•Jenny is predicting “Prime Suspect: The Final Act” and is rooting for “Prime Suspect: The Final Act.”

Made-for-TV Movie: “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; “Inside the Twin Towers,” Discovery Channel; “Longford,” HBO; “The Ron Clark Story,” TNT; “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy,” Lifetime.

•Amy is predicting “Inside the Twin Towers” and is abstaining from a rooting interest. (“Didn’t see any of ’em.”)
•Brian is predicting “Inside the Twin Towers” and is rooting for “Inside the Twin Towers.”
•Chris is predicting “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” but is rooting for “Inside the Twin Towers.”
•Georgette is predicting “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” and is rooting for “Inside the Twin Towers.”
•Heather is predicting “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” but is rooting for “Inside the Twin Towers.”
•Jenny is predicting “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” and is rooting for “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.”

Actor, Drama Series: James Spader, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Hugh Laurie, “House,” Fox; Denis Leary, “Rescue Me,” FX; James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos,” HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, “24,” Fox.

•Amy is predicting James Gandolfini but is rooting for Kiefer Sutherland. (“Duh!”)
•Brian is predicting James Gandolfini and is rooting for James Gandolfini.
•Chris is predicting James Gandolfini and is rooting for James Gandolfini.
•Georgette is predicting Hugh Laurie and is rooting for Hugh Laurie.
•Heather is predicting James Gandolfini and is rooting for James Gandolfini.
•Jenny is predicting James Gandolfini but is rooting for Denis Leary.

Actress, Drama Series: Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC; Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer,” TNT; Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Patricia Arquette, “Medium,” NBC; Minnie Driver, “The Riches,” FX; “Edie Falco, “The Sopranos,” HBO.

•Amy is predicting Edie Falco but is rooting for Sally Field.
•Brian is predicting Edie Falco and is rooting for Edie Falco.
•Chris is predicting Edie Falco and is rooting for Edie Falco.
•Georgette is predicting Edie Falco but is rooting for Mariska Hargitay.
•Heather is predicting Kyra Sedgwick but is rooting for Sally Field.
•Jenny is predicting Edie Falco but is rooting for Kyra Sedgwick.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, “Boston Legal,” ABC; T.R. Knight, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Masi Oka, “Heroes,” NBC; Michael Emerson, “Lost,” ABC; Terry O’Quinn, “Lost,” ABC; Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos,” HBO.

•Amy is predicting Michael Imperioli but is rooting for Masi Oka (“Though I’d be quite happy with Michael Emerson.”)
•Brian is predicting Michael Imperioli but is rooting for Masi Oka.
•Chris is predicting Michael Imperioli and is rooting for Michael Imperioli.
•Georgette is predicting Michael Imperioli but is rooting for William Shatner.
•Heather is predicting Michael Imperioli but is rooting for Michael Emerson.
•Jenny is predicting T.R. Knight but is rooting for Terry O’Quinn.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC; Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Aida Turturro, “The Sopranos,” HBO; Lorraine Bracco, “The Sopranos,” HBO.

•Amy is predicting Aida Tuturro and is rooting for Aida Tuturro.
•Brian is predicting Lorraine Bracco but is rooting for Chandra Wilson.
•Chris is predicting Lorraine Bracco but is rooting for Chandra Wilson.
•Georgette is predicting Rachel Griffiths and is rooting for Rachel Griffiths.
•Heather is predicting Rachel Griffiths but is rooting for Chandra Wilson.
•Jenny is predicting Lorraine Bracco but is rooting for Sandra Oh.

Actor, Comedy Series: Tony Shalhoub, “Monk,” USA; Steve Carell, “The Office,” NBC; Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock,” NBC; Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

•Amy is predicting Steve Carell but is rooting for Alec Baldwin.
•Brian is predicting Steve Carell and is rooting for Steve Carell.
•Chris is predicting Alec Baldwin but is rooting for “Stelec Caraldwin.” (“Just no more Shaloub, please.”)
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Alec Baldwin and is rooting for Alec Baldwin.
•Jenny is predicting Steve Carell but is rooting for Alec Baldwin.

Actress, Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives,” ABC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS; Tiny Fey, “30 Rock,” NBC; America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty,” ABC; Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds,” Showtime.

•Amy is predicting America Ferrera but is rooting for Tina Fey.
•Brian is predicting America Ferrera but is rooting for Tina Fey.
•Chris is predicting America Ferrera but is rooting for Tina Fey.
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting America Ferrera and is rooting for America Ferrera.
•Jenny is predicting Mary-Louise Parker but is rooting for America Ferrera.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Kevin Dillon, “Entourage,” HBO; Jeremy Piven, “Entourage,” HBO; Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother,” CBS; Rainn Wilson, “The Office,” CBS; Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

•Amy is predicting Rainn Wilson but is rooting for Kevin Dillon. “Though I’d be happy with Rainn, Johnny Drama so deserves the win.”
•Brian is predicting Jeremy Piven but is rooting for Rainn Wilson.
•Chris is predicting Rainn Wilson and is rooting for Rainn Wilson. (“NPH rocks, though.”)
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Rainn Wilson but is rooting for Neil Patrick Harris.
•Jenny is predicting Jeremy Piven and is rooting for Jeremy Piven.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jaime Pressly, “My Name Is Earl,” NBC; Jenna Fischer, “The Office,” NBC; Holland Taylor, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; Conchata Ferrell, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty,” ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds,” Showtime.

•Amy is predicting Vanessa Williams but is rooting for Jenna Fischer.
•Brian is predicting Jenna Fischer and is rooting for Jenna Fischer.
•Chris is predicting Vanessa Williams but is rooting for Jenna Fischer.
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Jenna Fischer but is rooting for Vanessa Williams.
•Jenny is predicting Jaime Pressly and is rooting for Jaime Pressly.

Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Robert Duvall, “Broken Trail,” AMC; Tom Selleck, “Jesse Stone: Sea Change,” CBS; Jim Broadbent, “Longford,” HBO; “William H. Macy, “Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King Umney’s Last Case,” TNT; Matthew Perry, “The Ron Clark Story,” TNT.

•Amy is predicting Robert Duvall but is rooting for William H. Macy. (“The only one I saw, but [Macy] was superb.”)
•Brian is predicting Robert Duvall and is rooting for Robert Duvall.
•Chris is predicting William H. Macy and is rooting for William H. Macy.
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Robert Duvall but is rooting for William H. Macy.
•Jenny is predicting Matthew Perry and is rooting for Matthew Perry.

Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Queen Latifah, “Life Support,” HBO; Helen Mirren, “Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre),” PBS; Mary-Louise Parker, “The Robber Bride,” Oxygen; Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife,” USA; Gena Rowlands, “What if God Were the Sun,” Lifetime.

•Amy is predicting Helen Mirren but abstained from declaring a rooting interest. (“Beats me.”)
•Brian is predicting Helen Mirren but is rooting for Queen Latifah.
•Chris is predicting Queen Latifah and is rooting for Queen Latifah.
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Helen Mirren and is rooting for Helen Mirren.
•Jenny is predicting Helen Mirren and is rooting for Helen Mirren.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Thomas Haden Church, “Broken Trail,” AMC; August Schellenberg, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; “Aidan Quinn, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; Edward Asner, “The Christmas Card,” Hallmark; Joe Mantegna, “The Starter Wife,” USA.

•Amy is predicting Aidan Quinn or Ed Asner but is rooting for Joe Mantegna.
•Brian is predicting Joe Mantegna and is rooting for Joe Mantegna.
•Chris is predicting Thomas Haden Church but is rooting for Aidan Quinn.
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Thomas Haden Church and is rooting for Thomas Haden Church.
•Jenny is predicting Thomas Haden Church but is rooting for Joe Mantegna.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Greta Scacchi, “Broken Trail,” AMC; Anna Paquin, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; Samantha Morton, “Longford,” HBO; Judy Davis, “The Starter Wife,” USA; Toni Collette, “Tsunami, The Aftermath,” HBO.

•Amy is predicting Anna Paquin but is rooting for Judy Davis.
•Brian is predicting Toni Collette but is rooting for Anna Paquin.
•Chris is predicting Anna Paquin and is rooting for Anna Paquin.
•Georgette abstained.
•Heather is predicting Anna Paquin but is rooting for Toni Collette.
•Jenny is predicting Toni Collette and is rooting for Toni Collette.

Reality Show, Competition: “The Amazing Race,” CBS; “American Idol,” FOX; “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC; “Project Runway,” Bravo; “Top Chef,” Bravo.

•Amy is predicting “The Amazing Race” but is rooting for “Top Chef.” (“Though I’ve never seen a single episode of any of these shows!”)
•Brian is predicting “Project Runway” (“Because I hear it’s great”) but is rooting for “Top Chef” (“Because I’m hungry.”)
•Chris is predicting “American Idol” but is rooting for “Project Runway.” (“But only if Tim Gunn gives the acceptance speech!”)
•Georgette is predicting “American Idol” but is rooting for “Project Runway.”
•Heather is predicting “The Amazing Race” and is rooting for “Dancing with the Stars.”
•Jenny is predicting “American Idol” and is rooting for “American Idol.”

(Photo courtesy of Fox.)

According to an interview with Janeane Garofalo in the Ottowa Sun, she and Coiro will work “closely together on a counter-terrorism task force.”

Will they be good guys or bad guys? Garofalo tells the Sun:

They don’t tell you in the long term, because they don’t want it to affect how you might behave.

Janeane says she reports to the set of 24 on Sept. 7. That is, if they don’t postpone things again.

Anyhow, she joked that she might find dialogue coming out of her mouth that seems antithetical to her far-left-leaning nature.

That’s why I feel like I’m being punked. I feel like the creators are going to make me say things that cause my sphincter to tighten.

Whatever the case, it’s good to hear that casting is continuing apace, no matter who’s being hired. If they’re hiring actors, that means they have at least a partial clue as to where this season’s going. About time.

Photo of Coiro courtesy of HBO, by Claudette Barius.
Photo of Garofalo by Associated Press photographer Gus Ruelas.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been some highlights and even some spectacular shows.

• Damages, for one, has been the big surprise. We generally shy away from cop/lawyer shows (though my hubby’s hooked on FX’s The Shield and HBO’s The Wire is simply one of the best shows ever to grace the small screen), but we had to give this one a chance. Fantabulous. The acting, the script, everything about it is terrific. Though I’m tiring of the serialized drama with a mystery, I’m totally hooked.

• The 4400 had a slow start but the last couple of episodes have been fantastic, completely true to form and really getting at the central core of the show’s mystery. Joel Gretsch’s transformation from good-guy cop/federal agent to evil man from the future was creepy as hell.

• Kyle XY is goofy, fun, mysterious and sappy without making you want to puke.

• Mad Men is seriously well-written and -acted and probably has one of the most realistic portrayals of how women were used and used men in the 1950s. Too bad that’s also why I can’t bring myself to watch it. Everytime the women in the secretarial pool are referred to as “girls,” I get ticked off all over again. Never mind the rest of it. But good job, folks.

• John From Cincinnati — I wanted to like this show. I really, really, really did. I even loved some of the performances. (Ed O’Neill, I’ll watch whatever show you’re on next.) But in the end? Just did not care enough to both watching the entire run, deleting about four or five hours worth of the show off my DVR. The good news is, that got us below 70 percent of our storage capacity.

• Big Love. Season 2’s been even better than Season 1.

• Entourage. Fun, fun, fun! As usual. Ari Gold is that guy you just looooove to hate. And Mrs. Ari’s been getting more screen time this season. Good. She’s the perfect foil for him.

• Flight of the Conchords is possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s an acquired taste and you have to really listen to the song lyrics. I was not surprised much when I read in the Star-Ledger recently that the episodes are built around their songs. It made the storylines actually make a lot more sense. But you watch the show for the songs. “hip-hopopotamus vs. the rhymenocerous” is a classic (Be more constructive with your feedback, please), as is “part-time model.” Here’s a lyric sample from the latter:

And when you’re on the street
Depending on the street
I bet that you are definitely
In the top three
Good looking girls on the street

• Slacker Cats. I watched less than 5 minutes of the premiere. It wasn’t that it was offensive (I love South Park, so I’m not easily offended). It was that it was just, well, stupid. And not funny stupid, either. Just stupid. Not worth wasting a half-hour of my life.

• Flash Gordon was easily the biggest disappointment to me. I’m a huge sci-fi fan (shocking, I know) and was looking forward to this very much. But the acting and script in the first episode were so freakin’ lame that about 20 minutes into it, I started fast-forwarding. Kept stopping in spots that looked interesting. I was wrong. Snoozefest.

• Burn Notice is still on the DVR and I’ve finally watched the first episode. Was it great? No. Was it fun? Yes. Jeffrey Donovan does a great job as the burned spy with the hypochondriac mother (a fun Sharon Gless in that role). But Gabrielle Anwar’s Irish accent bothers me; it didn’t sound right. She is from England, though, so maybe that’s it—some actors from New York can’t do a credible Boston accent, after all. Will I watch all eight or nine episodes already recorded? Not sure. Will I watch at least a couple more? Definitely.

• Eureka has been just about as enjoyable this time around as last season. The characters are becoming more fully realized and now that we know what to expect from them, they’re able to surprise us and give us the unexpected. I don’t particularly like this dark turn Henry’s taken, though. The scenes between him and the Sheriff were always my favorites.

• Doctor Who, I think, is doing just fine with Martha instead of Rose, though I do miss her, just as the good Doctor does. The whole Torchwood angle (c’mon, you know those mysterious folks telling Martha’s mum how dangerous the Doc is are from Torchwood) has added an extra dimension to the show, too. I think David Tennant is a really good Doctor, but he does yell an awful lot.

OK, so maybe the summer’s been better than it seemed at first blush. I hear good things about Monk and Psych, too, but I never started watching them. What’s on your DVR?

UPDATE, 8/21: This came out a few days ago, full disclosure, but I just heard about it – Entourage and Flight of the Conchords both have been picked up by HBO for another season (Entourage’s 5th, Flight’s 2nd). That’s great news; Flight especially deserves more time to develop an audience.

But there was an extra sweet surprise included in this installment: The show featured Alador & Smith, a graphic T-shirt line founded by two Rockland natives.

I wrote about these two entrepreneurs – Pascal Alouidor and Derek Smith – back in May for “the Journal News’ Life & Style section.”::http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070524/LIFESTYLE01/705240320

Pascal – who’s a multimedia designer here at the newspaper, and designs these T-shirts as a side business – told me back then that they’d sent a few of their shirts to potentially be used on the show.

I didn’t include it in the story because you never know what a costume designer is going to want a character to wear. Even big shot designers never know if a celeb will wear one of their gowns until they actually see it on the red carpet.

But lo and behold, there was a black and silver Alador & Smith tee on Johnny Drama – and he wore it for the entire episode!

(Perhaps the fact that rapper Saigon – who Turtle famously (and briefly) represented on the show – has done some ads for the clothing company helped with the placement decision.)

If you haven’t yet seen the episode, “The WeHo Ho,â€? it airs again tonight at 11 p.m. – and tomorrow at 9:30 p.m.

And check out some more of Alador & Smith’s styles “here.”:http://www.aladorandsmith.com/

And so it is with this morning’s announcement of Emmy nominees as the HBO crime-family drama walked away with a leading 15 nods, including Best Drama, Best Actor (James Gandolfini), Best Actress (Edie Falco), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Imperioli) and Best Supporting Actress (Aida Turturro and Lorraine Bracco).

Some highlights:

• HBO’s 86 nominations also bested all networks.


• The Riches’s Minnie Driver, 30 Rock’s Tina Fey, and Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera are first-time nominees in lead roles.


• Entourage’s Kevin Dillon, How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris, The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer, Ugly Betty’s Vanessa Williams and Heroes’ Masi Oka are all first-time nominees for supporting roles.


• Snubs include Grey’s Anatomy with no lead acting nominations, Desperate Housewive within just one nomination overall and a shutout of all three CSI series in major categories.


• 24 was snubbed for Best Drama, but reigning Best Actor Kiefer Sutherland has a shot at repeating.


• With no major nods, the beloved but beleaguered Friday Night Lights failed to get the Emmy boost NBC hoped for.


• The Office, last year’s Best Comedy, is up for the award again along with eight others awards.

The complete list of nominations can be found here, but here are the nominees in the top categories. The 59th Annual Emmy Awards ceremonies will air Sept. 16 on Fox.

Drama series

Boston Legal
Grey’s Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos

Comedy series

Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty

Actor in a drama series

James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
James Spader, Boston Legal
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Actress in a drama series

Patricia Arquette, Medium
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Actor in a comedy series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Actress in a comedy series

America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Source: USA Today

(Photos: AP Photo/HBO, Will Hart; AP Photo/HBO, Craig Blankenhorn)

Until I found out they agree with me. Mostly, anyway.

As Amy Vernon wrote about here a few days ago, TVWeek.com asked a bunch of critics, including TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello and Matt Roush and Gannett News’s Mike Hughs, to list their most favorite and least favorite shows.

They came so close, ranking the best show on television at number four and the funniest show on television at seven. One, six, nine and 12 are all deserving in my book, and I have no problem with their bottom 10, except my disappointment in The Black Donnellys. But that’s not the critics’ fault.

There’s a bunch of shows on both lists I don’t watch but plan to or just never had an interest in. I mean, seriously, Brothers and Sisters?

Notice how the critics’ rankings have nothing to do with ratings rankings?

The Best (my favorites in bold)

1. The Sopranos


2. Lost


3. Friday Night Lights


4. The Office


5. Ugly Betty


6. Heroes


7. 30 Rock


8. The Shield


9. Grey’s Anatomy


10. The Tudors


11. The Riches


12. TIE Entourage – Battlestar Galactica


13. American Idol


14. House


15. Boston Legal


16. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart


17. Rescue Me


18. TIE Desperate Housewives – Rome


19. TIE Everybody Hates Chris – CSI: Crime Scene Investigation


20. Brothers and Sisters


21. Veronica Mars


22. The New Adventures of Old Christine

1. October Road


2. 24


3. The Real Wedding Crashers


4. The Black Donnellys


5. Pussycat Dolls Present: TheSearch for the Next Doll


6. Tyler Perry’s House of Payne


7. Nancy Grace


8. TIE Sons of Hollywood – On the Lot -The Wedding Belles