The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced their nominations this morning for the upcoming 65TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS. The nominees are as follows…

Outstanding Drama Series
– Breaking Bad (AMC)
– Downton Abbey (PBS)
– Game Of Thrones (HBO)
– Homeland (Showtime)
– House Of Cards (Netflix)
– Mad Men (AMC)

Outstanding Comedy Series
– The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
– Girls (HBO)
– Louie (FX)
– Modern Family (ABC)
– 30 Rock (NBC)
– Veep (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
– Breaking Bad … Bryan Cranston as Walter White
– Downton Abbey … Hugh Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham
– Homeland … Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody
– House Of Cards … Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood
– Mad Men … Jon Hamm as Don Draper
– The Newsroom … Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
– Bates Motel … Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates
– Downton Abbey … Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley
– Homeland … Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison
– House Of Cards … Robin Wright as Claire Underwood
– Mad Men … Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson
– Nashville … Connie Britton as Rayna James
– Scandal … Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
– Arrested Development … Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
– The Big Bang Theory … Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
– Episodes … Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc
– House Of Lies … Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan
– Louie … Louis C.K. as Louie
– 30 Rock … Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
– Enlightened … Laura Dern as Amy
– Girls … Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath
– Nurse Jackie … Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton
– Parks And Recreation … Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope
– 30 Rock … Tina Fey as Liz Lemon
– Veep … Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
– Behind The Candelabra … Michael Douglas as Liberace
– Behind The Candelabra … Matt Damon as Scott Thorson
– The Girl … Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock
– Parade’s End … Benedict Cumberbatch as Christopher Tietjens
– Phil Spector … Al Pacino as Phil Spector

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
– American Horror Story: Asylum … Jessica Lange as Sister Jude Martin
– The Big C: Hereafter … Laura Linney as Cathy Jamison
– Phil Spector … Helen Mirren as Linda Kenney-Baden
– Political Animals … Sigourney Weaver as Elaine Barrish Hammond
– Top Of The Lake … Elisabeth Moss as Robin

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
– Boardwalk Empire … Bobby Cannavale as Gyp Rosetti
– Breaking Bad … Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut
– Breaking Bad … Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
– Downton Abbey … Jim Carter as Mr. Carson
– Game Of Thrones … Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
– Homeland … Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
– Breaking Bad … Anna Gunn as Skyler White
– Downton Abbey … Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham
– Game Of Thrones … Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
– The Good Wife … Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart
– Homeland … Morena Baccarin as Jessica Brody
– Mad Men … Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
– The Good Wife … Nathan Lane as Clarke Hayden
– The Good Wife … Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning
– Homeland … Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn
– Mad Men … Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper
– Mad Men … Harry Hamlin as Jim Cutler
– Scandal … Dan Bucatinsky as James Novack

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
– The Americans … Margo Martindale as Claudia
– Game Of Thrones … Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
– The Good Wife … Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni
– Mad Men … Linda Cardellini as Sylvia Rosen
– The Newsroom … Jane Fonda as Leona Lansing
– Shameless … Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
– Girls … Adam Driver as Adam Sackler
– Modern Family … Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett
– Modern Family… Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett
– Modern Family … Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy
– Saturday Night Live … Bill Hader as Various characters
– Veep … Tony Hale as Gary Walsh

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
– The Big Bang Theory … Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler
– Glee … Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester
– Modern Family … Sofia Vergara as Gloria Pritchett
– Modern Family … Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy
– Nurse Jackie … Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow
– 30 Rock … Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney
– Veep … Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
– The Big Bang Theory … Bob Newhart as Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton
– Modern Family … Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltzman
– Nurse Jackie … Bobby Cannavale as Dr. Mike Cruz
– Saturday Night Live … Louis C.K., Host
– Saturday Night Live … Justin Timberlake, Host
– 30 Rock … Will Forte as Paul

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
– Enlightened … Molly Shannon as Eileen Foliente
– Glee … Dot-Marie Jones as Shannon Beiste
– Louie … Melissa Leo as Laurie
– Saturday Night Live … Melissa McCarthy, Host
– Saturday Night Live … Kristen Wiig, Host
– 30 Rock … Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
– American Horror Story: Asylum … James Cromwell as Dr. Arthur Arden
– American Horror Story: Asylum … Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Thredson
– Behind The Candelabra … Scott Bakula as Bob Black
– The Big C: Hereafter… John Benjamin Hickey as Sean
– Top Of The Lake … Peter Mullan as Matt

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
– American Horror Story: Asylum … Sarah Paulson as Lana Winters
– The Girl … Imelda Staunton as Alma Hitchcock
– Political Animals … Ellen Burstyn as Margaret Barrish Worthington
– Restless … Charlotte Rampling as Sally Gilmartin
– Steel Magnolias … Alfre Woodard as Ouiser

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
– American Idol … Ryan Seacrest, Host
– Betty White’s Off Their Rockers … Betty White, Host
– Dancing With The Stars … Tom Bergeron, Host
– Project Runway … Heidi Klum, Host / Tim Gunn, Host
– So You Think You Can Dance … Cat Deeley, Host
– The Taste … Anthony Bourdain, Host

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
– The Amazing Race (CBS)
– Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
– Project Runway (Lifetime)
– So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
– Top Chef (Bravo)
– The Voice (NBC)

Outstanding Variety Series
– The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
– The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
– Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
– Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)
– Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Miniseries Or Movie
– American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)
– Behind The Candelabra (HBO)
– The Bible (HISTORY)
– Phil Spector (HBO)
– Political Animals (USA)
– Top Of The Lake (Sundance Channel)

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
– Breaking Bad [Dead Freight] … George Mastras, Written by
– Breaking Bad [Say My Name] … Thomas Schnauz, Written by
– Downton Abbey [Episode 4] … Julian Fellowes, Written by
– Game Of Thrones [The Rains Of Castamere] … David Benioff, Written by / D.B. Weiss, Written by
– Homeland [Q&A] … Henry Bromell, Written by

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
– Boardwalk Empire [Margate Sands] … Tim Van Patten, Directed by
– Breaking Bad [Gliding Over All] … Michelle MacLaren, Directed by
– Downton Abbey [Episode 4] … Jeremy Webb, Directed by
– Homeland [Q&A] … Lesli Linka Glatter, Directed by
– House Of Cards [Chapter 1] … David Fincher, Directed by

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
– Episodes [Episode 209] … David Crane, Written by / Jeffrey Klarik, Written by
– Louie [Daddy’s Girlfriend Part 1] … Louis C.K., Story & Teleplay by / Pamela Adlon, Story by
– The Office [Finale] … Greg Daniels, Written by
– 30 Rock [Hogcock!] … Jack Burditt, Written by / Robert Carlock, Written by
– 30 Rock [Last Lunch] … Tina Fey, Written by / Tracey Wigfield, Written by

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
– Girls [On All Fours] … Lena Dunham, Directed by
– Glee [Diva] … Paris Barclay, Directed by
– Louie [New Year’s Eve] … Louis C.K., Directed by
– Modern Family [Arrested] … Gail Mancuso, Directed by
– 30 Rock [Hogcock! / Last Lunch] … Beth McCarthy-Miller, Directed by

Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
– Behind The Candelabra … Richard LaGravenese, Written by
– The Hour … Abi Morgan, Written by
– Parade’s End … Tom Stoppard, Written by
– Phil Spector … David Mamet, Written by
– Top Of The Lake … Jane Campion, Written by / Gerard Lee, Written by

Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
– Behind The Candelabra … Steven Soderbergh, Directed by
– The Girl … Julian Jarrold, Directed by
– Phil Spector … David Mamet, Directed by
– Ring Of Fire … Allison Anders, Directed by
– Top Of The Lake [Part 5] … Jane Campion, Directed by / Garth Davis, Directed by

Outstanding Variety Special
– The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)
– Louis C.K.: Oh My God (HBO)
– Mel Brooks Strikes Back! With Mel Brooks And Alan Yentob (HBO)
– Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday [Part One] (NBC)
– 12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief (Robin Hood Foundation)

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
– The Colbert Report … Various
– The Daily Show With Jon Stewart … Various
– Jimmy Kimmel Live … Various
– Portlandia … Various
– Real Time With Bill Maher … Various
– Saturday Night Live … Various

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special
– The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards … Various
– Louis C.K.: Oh My God … Various
– Night Of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together For Autism Programs … Various
– Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday [Part One] … Various
– 66th Annual Tony Awards … Dave Boone, Written by / Paul Greenberg, Special Material by

Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
– The Colbert Report [Episode 8131] … James Hoskinson, Directed by
– The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [Episode 17153] … Chuck O’Neil, Directed by
– Jimmy Kimmel Live [Episode 13-1810] … Andy Fisher, Directed by
– Late Show With David Letterman [Episode 3749] … Jerry Foley, Directed by
– Portlandia [Alexandra] … Jonathan Krisel, Directed by
– Saturday Night Live [Host: Justin Timberlake] … Don Roy King, Directed by

Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special
– The Kennedy Center Honors … Louis J. Horvitz, Directed by
– London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony … Bucky Gunts, Directed by / Hamish Hamilton, Directed by
– Louis C.K.: Oh My God … Louis C.K., Directed by
– The Oscars … Don Mischer, Directed by
– 12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief … Michael Dempsey, Directed by

So, what are your thoughts regarding this year’s nominees? Are there any standouts for you? I’m personally hoping for a lot of GAME OF THRONES love (especially for the amazing Emilia Clarke) as well as a win for Matt LeBlanc in EPISODES (though I know Jim Parsons will probably win it again). I’d also consider Jessica Lange for her AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM work. That was one powerful performance.

Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the 65TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS will air live on Sunday, September 22nd at 8pm (EST).

~K