Carin Baer/AMC

Sure, Mad Men isn't as big as a rain delay yet, but please, one thing at a time.

The Rat Pack-era drama, which netted nearly as many Emmy nominations this month as it did viewers last season, kicked off its second year Sunday night before a record 2.1 million, the latest Nielsen Media Research stats show.

The premiere number was a whopping 129 percent improvement over the 915,000 viewers the typical Mad Men episode averaged last season.

Previously a show familiar with the phrase "critically loved, little watched," Mad Men got a profile boost July 18 when it was nominated for more Emmys, 16, than any other drama series.

But for all the raves, shows on Sunday night that netted larger audiences than the AMC series included:

Keep Reading

CNN

Sure, he has the name for the job, but who could have expected that Rainn Wilson would turn to weather forecasting while his acting career is doing so well?

On the very day he was nominated for an Emmy, The Office's Dwight Schrute did the weather—or at least flailed about in front of the satellite maps—on CNN to promote his new movie, The Rocker.

No, we didn't really get the connection either, but it did bring us closer to our dream that one day Steve Carell would replace Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room.

ABC/Karen Neal

Who won diddly-squat? Other than Diddy? Here are some more of Emmys' snubs, surprises—and surprising factoids. (Hint: High School Musical 2 didn't sing, but it didn't croak, either):

• Since 2005, Grey's Anatomy has scored 29 nominations, but not a single one for Meredith Grey's Ellen Pompeo and her Dr. McDreamy, Patrick Dempsey.
• Matthew Fox is the Ellen Pompeo of Lost. He's never, ever been nominated.
• Actually, maybe Evangeline Lilly is the Ellen Pompeo of Lost. She's never, ever been nominated, either.
• Brothers & Sister's Calista Flockhart is still awaiting her first post-Ally McBeal nomination.
• For the first time ever, Desperate Housewives came up empty in both the lead and supporting actress categories.

Keep Reading

E! Networks, ZumaPress.com, ABC, AP Photo

Talk about a reality check.

It's a generally accepted Emmy truth that The Amazing Race is an unstoppable awards-show juggernaut, destined to crush any and all nominees on its way up to the podium. Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan, on the other hand, apparently not so much.

The globe-trotting emcee, and presumptive shoo-in, was majorly snubbed in the inaugural race for Outstanding Reality-Competition Host when nominations were announced this morning. Instead, American Idol's Ryan Seacrest, Dancing With the Stars' Tom Bergeron, Deal or No Deal's Howie Mandel, Survivor's Jeff Probst and Project Runway's Heidi Klum, the lone female contender, will battle it out in his stead.

Keep Reading

Our TV Diva caught petite Pushing Daisies pie pusher Kristin Chenoweth just after this morning's Emmys announcer found out she was among the nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Hear the renowned stage star (she already has a Tony) gush to our Kristin about being recognized as an actress, singing again on Daisies...and sleeping with her costar!

Neil Patrick Harris was happy to announce the Emmy nominations in the wee hours of this morning, and he's thrilled his name was added to the race for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. But mostly he's just glad he's not the guy with egg on his face.

Hear more of his reaction to the good news this morning in our exclusive interview.

Christian Weber/Showtime

So, here's what Katherine Heigl will be missing.

Emmy's Drama Series acting categories looked to be neatly split among performances dedicated to law abiders and law breakers.

In the Lead Actor in a Drama series race, Jon Hamm, a two-timing man on Man Men, stood alongside Michael C. Hall, a serial killer with a bloody heart of gold on Dexter. Also nominated: Bryan Cranston, for his meth-lab-running Breaking Bad math teacher; Hugh Laurie, for his terminally cranky doctor in House; Gabriel Byrne, for his mesmerizing hands in In Treatment; and defending champ James Spader, for his Boston Legal shark.

Compared to the men, the Lead Actress race is full of positively heroic characters—provided you don't count Glenn Close's scarier-than-Alex Forrest lawyer from Damages.

Keep Reading

Nicole Rivelli/NBC

Yes, Liz Lemon is going to make it, after all.

30 Rock was all over Emmy's comedy acting categories, especially in the guest actor races, where it hogged seven of 10 total nominations.

Star and creator Tina Fey will go for her first acting Emmy in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series against Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine); Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?); America Ferrera (Ugly Betty); and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds).

In the Lead Actor comedy series category, Fey's TV boss Alec Baldwin will go up against The Office's Steve Carell, Two and a Half Men's Charlie Sheen, Monk's Tony Shalhoub and Pushing Daisies' Lee Pace, a first-time nominee.

Keep Reading