TV

A recurring message among executives, producers and actors at the TCA Press Tour has been that the message that shut Hollywood down for five months and brought last year's new Fall season to a screeching halt was, really, when you think about it, a good thing.

Of all the outrages big and small, this year's final snubbing of HBO's The Wire is the most maddening and egregious. One (!!!!) nomination. That's it. Granted, it's for Best Writing, a category that the Academy should just go ahead and rename in honor of the consistently best written show ever (there, I said it, take that Sopran-iacs). But year in year out, The Wire had great acting and great cinematography It's a joke that among that amazing ensemble of actors creating and extending such rich and unpredictable characters that none has ever been nominated.

In its six year on-air, it received only one other nomination, in 2005, also for writing. And now it's going out with a final season that I personally thought was (once again) smart, courageous, compelling TV all but ignored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. So be it. Decorum prevents me from the purest expression of my reaction, but fans know what a singularly great show The Wire was, and thanks to DVD afterlife, is.

Glad to see Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron nominated in the Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program. In the end, most reality shows are pretty silly if you really think about it -- dancing celebs, people stranded on islands, karaoke, etc. -- and I always feel when I am watching him that he's giving the audience that little wink that says, "Hey, I know what we're doing here is ridiculous, too, and it's OK to have some fun with it."
Now if they could just do something about that Samantha Harris -- Queen of the Inane Backstage Interview -- we'd be in business.

When pouring over the lead actor/actress category for a miniseries for movie, I stopped for a second and wondered if this were actually Oscar nomination day. Eight of the 10 actors across those two categories have also been nominated for Oscars, and a few of them have won (bold) (Ralph Fiennes, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Catherine Keener, Susan Sarandon, Judi Dench and Lauda Linney). And what about the two that haven't been nominated? All they've done is created one of the most well-regarded comedy series in history (Ricky Gervais) and one of television's all-time mothers (Phylicia Rashad). Pretty good company, I'd say.

This is hard to say, and just know that I say this as a huge fan of the show, but Entourage did not deserve to get nominated for best comedy series. Last season was a week-in and week out letdown, leaving many viewers asking how much was left in this show's tank. Sure, there were the occasional bright spots -- watching Johnny Drama deal with having a little success was a highlight. But overall the show got way to bogged down in the Medellin plotline to the point where it lost that light on its feet vibe that made it so enjoyable. And while I realize that if you are on HBO, that pretty much guarantees your Emmy nomination, I feel like this is the equivalent of passing along the failing student to the next grade. If Entourage is handed nominations for seasons like the last one, where's the incentive to get better?

When I read the name Bryan Cranston in the lead actor, drama category for the show Breaking Bad, my first thought was honestly, "who?" He may be outstanding on that show for all I know, but I wouldn't know, because I've never seen it. In fact, the next person to tell me that they have watched it will be the first. With Mad Men riding a tidal wave of critical praise, that category is probably John Hamm's to lose anyway.

First early thought from working through the nominees: If the Emmys loved Tina Fey any more they would have to marry her. 30 Rock, which deservedly won best comedy series last year, is up for the award again this year, and she's up again in the lead comedy actress category, which she won last year. And to top it off, she's also nominated for writing a 30 Rock episode and in the Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program for hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live. Does it surprise you to learn that that SNL episode was also nominated for Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or A Special. (yes, really.)

Now that the nominees have been announced, what's the thinking out there? Let us know who got robbed and who was properly rewarded. After I pour over the list a little, I'll weigh in myself. And Tom Maurstad will put it all together for us a little later -- he's in LA covering the Television Critics Association Press Tour, so we'll cut him a little slack for being late.