Lionsgate, the independent film and TV studio that produces AMC’s critical and ratings hit Mad Men and Showtime’s controversial but lauded Weeds, struck its own interim deal with the Writer’s Guild of America.

That means those two shows can get new scripts going and go into production whenever their little hearts desire.

They join the Weinstein Co., David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants and Marvel Entertainment (which means Captain America and other films can get back to work).

I heard the news on the radio this morning; thanks to Radar Online for the confirmation.

As usual, we’ll just present the TV nominees here, but if you want to see the film nominees too, go here. As usual, my picks in parentheses, but I haven’t seen the vast majority of the TV movie/miniseries nominees, so no comments from me on those.

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?)

Released this morning, the Golden Globe television nominations (by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association) had lots of love for critical (and ratings) darling Pushing Daisies, as well as lots of cable fare, particularly Damages.

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)

OK, this has got to be one of the goofiest self-promoting surveys. Ever.

EMBARQ (I’ve never even heard of this company!) surveyed 1,000 Americans who they’d want to call up and invite to join them around the dinner table this holiday season, on their cell phones of course. In return, EMBARQ is giving its customers (current as well as new) unlimited minutes throughout the entire month.

So, 11 percent of the respondents, when offered the following fake characters, chose Jack Bauer, our tortured (and torturing) hero (anti-hero?) of 24 over the following: Susan Mayer of Desperate Housewives, Larry David of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Stewie Griffin of Family Guy, Claire Bennet of Heroes, Michael Scott of The Office and Nancy Botwin of Weeds.

Because it’s awards season, the International Press Academy (who? I dunno, either) announced its nominees for the 2007 Satellite Awards (never heard of them, either, but this is apparently the 12th annual ceremony, to be held Dec. 16). Awards will be given in 49 categories, in television, film, DVD and “new media.”

Here’s a link to the official list of all the nominees and past nominees and winners, too). Variety also reported that Mad Men won a special achievement award for best ensemble cast, but I couldn’t find that on the official list.

Miniseries:
Jane Eyre, BBC/WGBH
The Starter Wife, USA Network
The Company, TNT
Five Days, HBO
The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, BBC/Kudos Productions

Motion picture made for television (otherwise known as the made-for-TV movie, or, now, MPMFT):
The Wind And The Willows, Masterpiece Theater, PBS/BBC
Mitch Albom’s For One More Day, ABC
Longford, HBO/Channel 4
Life Support, HBO
The Trial Of Tony Blair, Channel 4
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, HBO

How can Hollywood pick Emmy winners with so many quality shows out there—and “Two and a Half Men”?

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.”

Yep, there’s more summer series yet to premiere, starting tomorrow. Thanks to Ain’t It Cool News, here’s an alphabetical list. AICN has a listing by date, too.

All Things Bridal, WE, Aug. 12
American Princess, WE, Aug. 19
Anchorwoman, Fox, Aug. 21
Californication, Showtime, Aug. 13
The Company, TNT, Aug. 5
Fallen, ABC Family, Aug. 3
Fat March, ABC, Aug. 6
Flash Gordon, SciFi, Aug. 10
The Girls Next Door, E!, Aug. 12
Hard Knocks, HBO, Aug. 8
The Hills, MTV, Aug. 13
i-Caught, ABC, Aug. 7
Jekyll, BBC America, Aug. 4
The Knights of Prosperity, ABC, Aug. 8
Laguna Beach, MTV, Aug. 15
Masters of Science Fiction, ABC, Aug. 4
Mission Manband, VH1, Aug. 6
Monday Night Football, ESPN, Aug. 13
NASCAR In Primetime, ABC, Aug. 15
The Nine, ABC, Aug. 1
The Power of 10, CBS, Aug. 7
Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO, Aug. 24
The Real World Sydney, MTV, Aug. 1
The Rock Life, VH1, Aug. 6
She’s Moving In, WE, Aug. 4
Slacker Cats, ABC Family, Aug. 13
Solitary, Fox Reality, Aug. 11
Tori & Dean: Inn Love, Oxygen, Aug. 14
Weeds, Showtime, Aug. 13

What does it say about the Screen Actors Guild that their awards show Sunday on TNT and TBS has more categories for TV than movies?

(The movie-acting nominees mirror the Oscar ballot exactly, btw.)

This show sometimes flies below the radar and I don’t want you to miss a chance to argue about yet another set of honors. Here, then, is the TV ballot:

COMEDY ENSEMBLE:
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
The Office
Ugly Betty
Weeds

DRAMA ENSEMBLE:
24
Boston Legal
Deadwood
Grey’s Anatomy
The Sopranos

FEMALE ACTOR/COMEDY:
America Ferrera
Felicity Huffman
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Megan Mullally
Mary-Louise Parker
Jaime Pressly

MALE ACTOR/COMEDY:
Alec Baldwin
Steve Carell
Jason Lee
Jeremy Piven
Tony Shalhoub

FEMALE ACTOR/DRAMA:
Patricia Arquette
Edie Falco
Mariska Hargitay
Kyra Sedgwick
Chandra Wilson

MALE ACTOR/DRAMA:
James Gandolfini
Michael C. Hall
Hugh Laurie
James Spader
Kiefer Sutherland

FEMALE ACTOR, MOVIE OR MINISERIES:
Annette Bening, “Mrs. Harris”
Shirley Jones, “Hidden Places”
Cloris Leachman, “Mrs. Harris”
Helen Mirren, “Elizabeth I”
Greta Scacchi, “Broken Trail:

MALE ACTOR, MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Thomas Haden Church, “Broken Trail”
Robert Duvall, “Broken Trail”
Jeremy Irons, “Elizabeth I”
William H. Macy “Nightmares & Dreamscapes”
Matthew Perry, “The Ron Clark Story”

My picks: Entourage, Grey’s Anatomy, Parker, Carell, Wilson, Laurie, Mirren, Irons—just to see what he wears. But I could be wrong.