Emmy nominations embrace old and new
Primetime lineup includes new shows and names and underscores cable's strong presence.
Los Angeles
The 61st annual Primetime Emmy nominations came out this morning and, say media watchers, despite the shunning of HBO's vampire saga, "True Blood," the most notable trend is the presence of so much fresh blood.
"For many years, the Academy [of Television Arts and Sciences] used to nominate the same shows over and over," says Mediaweek's Marc Berman, "but this year is refreshingly full of new shows and names." He points to such first-timers as Simon Baker for "The Mentalist," Jemaine Clement (HBO's "The Flight of the Conchords"), Toni Collette (Showtime's "United States of Tara"), Jim Parsons (CBS's "The Big Bang Theory") and Sarah Silverman (Comedy Central's "The Sarah Silverman Program").
