'Glee' bags 19 Emmy nominations
"Modern Family" and "Good Wife" also fared well. "The Pacific" topped all contenders.
LOS ANGELES - Glee, the spunky TV musical comedy about high school misfits and the teachers who shepherd them, was a top Emmy nominee Thursday with 19 bids, including for best comedy series and stars Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele.
The leading nominee was the gritty, unsparing World War II mini-series, The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, with 24 nominations.
Conan O'Brien is gone from NBC's The Tonight Show but his short tenure as host is not forgotten: The late-night show with him at the helm nabbed a nomination as best variety, music, or comedy series, while resurrected Jay Leno was snubbed.
Besides Glee, other newcomers receiving Emmy recognition include Modern Family, with nods for best comedy series and for five members of its ensemble cast - although not linchpin Ed O'Neill as the patriarch - and The Good Wife, a nominee for best drama and recognition for star Julianna Margulies.
Top categories were announced on an early Thursday telecast by Sofia Vergara of Modern Family, who was nominated, and Joel McHale of Community, who wasn't.
The final season of Lost garnered nominations for best drama series and nominations for star Matthew Fox and supporting actors Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson. Elizabeth Mitchell received a guest actress nomination for the drama.
The most-nominated reality series were Dancing With the Stars with nine bids, The Amazing Race with seven and American Idol with six.
Jane Lynch was a double-barreled threat, with a nomination as supporting comedy actress for her sadistic cheerleading coach in Glee and a nod as guest actress for Two and a Half Men. She plays a therapist for Charlie Sheen's character.
Saturday Night Live received 12 nominations for a total 126 nominations during its run, surpassing the ER all-time record of 124. One of the nominations went to Betty White, who at 88 proved you're never too old for comedy when she hosted the show to big ratings and applause.
White's competitors include Tina Fey, the former SNL writer and star who took a break from her 30 Rock, the second-most-nominated comedy with 15 bids, to return as an SNL host. Fey also received a best comedy actress nomination for 30 Rock.
Mad Men was the most-nominated drama with 17 bids. The darkly sexy 1960s period show has been honored as best drama two years in a row. Its stars, Jon Hamm and January Jones, received acting nominations.
Besides Glee and Modern Family, other nominees for best comedy series were Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nurse Jackie, The Office, and last year's winner, 30 Rock.
Joining Mad Men, Lost, and The Good Wife as best drama series nominees were Breaking Bad, Dexter, and first-timer True Blood, which overcame TV academy voter reservations about fantasy genre shows.
Only one other mini-series nominee, Return to Cranford, is competing with The Pacific.
Big names prevailed in the made-for-TV movie category. Al Pacino was nominated for his role as euthanasia advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian in You Don't Know Jack and the film itself was nominated, while this year's Oscar winner Jeff Bridges was nominated for A Dog Year.
The most-nominated movie was Temple Grandin, based on the life of the animal science expert, with 15 bids, including one for star Claire Danes.
Other film actors in the TV movie honors hunt are Dennis Quaid and Hope Davis for their portrayals of Bill and Hillary Clinton in The Special Relationship, along with costar Michael Sheen as British politician Tony Blair.
Bryan Cranston, last year's best drama actor winner for Breaking Bad, was nominated again. He's joined by Hamm, Fox, Michael C. Hall of Dexter, Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights, and Hugh Laurie of House.
Glenn Close, who captured top drama acting honors last year for Damages, received a bid, along with Jones, Margulies, Kyra Sedgwick of The Closer, Connie Britton of Friday Night Lights, and Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Besides Michele of Glee and Fey of 30 Rock, bids for lead actress in a comedy went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the canceled The New Adventures of Old Christine, Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie, Amy Poehler for Parks and Recreation, and last year's winner, Toni Collette, for The United States of Tara.
Among comedy series actors, the nominees are Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory, Larry David for Curb Your Enthusiasm, Tony Shalhoub for the last season of Monk, Steve Carell for The Office and Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock. Baldwin is a two-time winner for the series.
HBO received the most nominations overall, with 101, followed by ABC with 63, and CBS with 57. NBC earned 48, Fox received 47, and PBS had 32. Showtime had 23 nominations.
The Emmy Awards will air Aug. 29 on NBC, with Jimmy Fallon hosting. The ceremony, which usually airs in September, was moved up to avoid a conflict with NBC's Sunday NFL broadcasts.