Downton Abbey, Scorsese's Broadwalk Empire Compete For Emmy Awards.

Downton Abbey, Mad Men and Broadwalk Empire are all competing for Emmy Awards tonight. The Emmy Awards are the TV equivalent of the Oscars.

Mad Men have been nominated for outstanding drama series, for the fourth year in a row. Jon Hamm is also nominated for outstanding dramatic actor and co-star Elisabeth Moss has been nominated for best dramatic actress, Christina Hendricks and John Slattery are up for the best supporting actor/actress awards.

Kate Winslet and Hugh Laurie are keeping the British side up, Winslet is up for best actress in a mini-series for her role in Mildred Pierce, while the show itself is also competing for the mini-series award.

And Laurie is up against Jon Hamm in the outstanding actor category for his role as grumpy surgeon Dr Gregory House in the acclaimed drama House.

Downton Abbey – which returns to ITV tonight for a second series – is up for the best mini-series category, while Maggie Smith is nominated for her role as the Countess of Grantham. I have filmed a lot for Downtown Abbey, as a downstairs maid, so I am rooting for the cast and crew, who are all lovely.

And British actresses Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh both received nominations for their roles in the BBC remake of Upstairs Downstairs.

Other shows with nominations are Glee – nominated in a few categories including best comedy – the medieval drama Game Of Thrones, serial killer drama Dexter and the US remake of The Office.
Martin Scorsese’s Boardwalk Empire is also tipped to win big at the awards.

The prohibition era drama is up against Mad Men in the best drama category, while Steve Buscemi is nominated in the same category as Jon Hamm, for the best actor trophy.

The awards, which will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday night, will be hosted by Glee actress Jane Lynch.

Mildred Pierce leads way at Emmys


‘Mildred Pierce’ leads the way in the Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

The HBO mini-series scored an astonishing 21 nods when the nominees were announced this morning (14.07.11) by Melissa McCarthy and Joshua Jackson, including Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for Kate Winslet, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Mini-series Or A Movie for both Tom Wilkinson and Guy Pierce, Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for Evan Rachel Wood, Melissa Leo and Dame Maggie Smith, and Outstanding Miniseries or Movie.

Elsewhere, ‘Mad Men’ – which received 19 nominations – has the chance to take Outstanding Drama for the fourth year in a row, while ‘Modern Family’ could again scoop Outstanding Comedy, with the category amongst the 17 nods the sitcom earned.

John Hamm received his fourth nomination in a row for Outstanding Actor in a Drama and could receive his first win in the category as ‘Breaking Bad’ star Bryan Cranston – who has taken home the honour at the previous three ceremonies – was not eligible to win this year as the show took a break between seasons.

Other leading nominations included Prohibition-era drama ‘Boardwalk Empire’ with 18, ‘Game of Thrones and ’30 Rock’ with 13 each and 16 for ‘Saturday Night Live’.

Despite being dropped by the History Channel and subsequently picked up by the lesser known ReelzChannel, ‘The Kennedys’ scored an impressive 10 nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie.

The 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on September 18 and will be hosted by Jane Lynch.

List of main Primetime Emmy Award nominations:

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series:

‘The Colbert Report’

‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’

‘Conan’

‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’

‘Saturday Night Live’

‘Real Time with Bill Maher’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Edie Falco – ‘Nurse Jackie’

Tina Fey – ’30 Rock’

Laura Linney – ‘The Big C’

Melissa McCarthy – ‘Mike & Molly’

Martha Plimpton – ‘Raising Hope’

Amy Poehler – ‘Parks And Recreation’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin – ’30 Rock’

Louis C.K. – ‘Louie’

Steve Carell – ‘The Office’

Matt LeBlanc – ‘Episodes’

Jim Parsons – ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Johnny Galecki – ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Outstanding Comedy Series:

‘The Big Bang Theory’

‘Glee’

‘Modern Family’

‘The Office’

‘Parks and Recreation’

’30 Rock’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie:

Taraji P. Henson – ‘Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story’

Diane Lane – ‘Cinema Verite’

Jean Marsh – Upstairs Downstairs’

Elizabeth McGovern – ‘Downton Abbey’

Kate Winslet – ‘Mildred Pierce’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie:

Idris Elba – ‘Luther’

William Hurt – ‘Too Big To Fail’

Greg Kinnear – ‘The Kennedys’

Barry Pepper – ‘The Kennedys’

Edgar Ramirez – ‘Carlos’

Laurence Fishburne – ‘Thurgood’

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Programme:

Tom Bergeron – ‘Dancing with The Stars’

Cat Deeley – ‘So You Think You Can Dance’

Phil Keoghan – ‘The Amazing Race’

Jeff Probst – ‘Survivor’

Ryan Seacrest – ‘American Idol’

Outstanding Reality Competition:

‘The Amazing Race’

‘Dancing With The Stars’

‘American Idol’

‘So You Think You Can Dance’

‘Project Runway’

‘Top Chef’

Outstanding Drama:

‘Boardwalk Empire’

‘Dexter’

‘Friday Night Lights’

‘Game of Thrones’

‘The Good Wife’

‘Mad Men’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama:

Kathy Bates – ‘Harry’s Law’

Connie Britton – ‘Friday Night Lights’

Mireille Enos – ‘The Killing’

Julianna Margulies – ‘The Good Wife’

Mariska Hargitay – ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’

Elisabeth Moss – ‘Mad Men’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama:

Steve Buscemi – ‘Boardwalk Empire’

Kyle Chandler – ‘Friday Night Lights’

Michael C. Hall – ‘Dexter’

Jon Hamm – ‘Mad Men’

Hugh Laurie – ‘House’

Timothy Olyphant – ‘Justified’

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie:

‘Downtown Abbey’

‘The Kennedys’

‘Cinema Verite’

‘Mildred Pierce’

‘Pillars of the Earth’

‘Too Big To Fail’