It’s not just the movie awards season

It’s blah, blah, blah about movie awards this time of year, the the Globes recently announced and the SAG Awards nods announced today (Dec. 18), but TV also demands its share of attention. So here are the TV nominations for the SAG and Golden Globe awards, along with bcast info. Make a note, wouldya?
Here are the TV-category nominees for the 45th Annual Screen Actors’ Guild Awards to be bcast live at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009 on TNT and TBS. Here’s the full list, if you must know about Milk and that Buttons guys etc.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
RALPH FIENNES / Bernard Lafferty – “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / John Adams – “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Ron Klain – “RECOUNT” (HBO)
KIEFER SUTHERLAND / Jack Bauer – “24: REDEMPTION” (FOX)
TOM WILKINSON / Benjamin Franklin – “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURA DERN / Katherine Harris – “RECOUNT” (HBO)
LAURA LINNEY / Abigail Adams – “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
SHIRLEY MacLAINE / Coco Chanel – “COCO CHANEL” (Lifetime)
PHYLICIA RASHAD / Lena Younger – “A RAISIN IN THE SUN” (Lifetime)
SUSAN SARANDON / Doris Duke – “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – “DEXTER” (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper – “MAD MEN” (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Gregory House – “HOUSE” (FOX)
WILLIAM SHATNER / Denny Crane – “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – “BROTHERS & SISTERS” (ABC)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson – “LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT” (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – “SAVING GRACE” (TNT)
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson – “MAD MEN” (AMC)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson – “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 ROCK” (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
DAVID DUCHOVNY / Hank Moody – “CALIFORNICATION” (Showtime)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – “ENTOURAGE” (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – “MONK” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – “SAMANTHA WHO?” (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – “UGLY BETTY” (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 ROCK” (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – “WEEDS” (Showtime)
TRACEY ULLMAN / Various Characters – “TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
DEXTER (Showtime)
HOUSE (Fox)
MAD MEN (AMC)
THE CLOSER (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
THE OFFICE (NBC)
WEEDS (Showtime)

And here are the TV-category nominees for the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which will be handed out live from The Beverly Hilton in L.A. at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 11, 2009 on NBC.

Best television series — drama
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
HOUSE (FOX)
IN TREATMENT (HBO)
MAD MEN (AMC)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

Best performance by an actress in a TV series — drama
SALLY FIELD – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
MARISKA HARGITAY –LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
JANUARY JONES – MAD MEN
ANNA PAQUIN – TRUE BLOOD
KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER

Best performance by an actor in a TV series — drama
GABRIEL BYRNE – IN TREATMENT
MICHAEL C. HALL – DEXTER
JON HAMM – MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE – HOUSE
JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS – THE TUDORS

Best TV series — comedy or musical
30 ROCK (NBC
CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
THE OFFICE (NBC)
WEEDS (SHOWTIME)

Best performance by an actress in a TV series — comedy or musical
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE – SAMANTHA WHO?
AMERICA FERRERA – UGLY BETTY
TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
DEBRA MESSING – THE STARTER WIFE
MARY-LOUISE PARKER – WEEDS

Best performance by an actor in a TV series — comedy or musical
ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
STEVE CARELL – THE OFFICE
KEVIN CONNOLLY – ENTOURAGE
DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
TONY SHALHOUB – MONK

Best mini-series or motion picture made for TV
A RAISIN IN THE SUN (ABC)
BERNARD AND DORIS (HBO
CRANFORD (PBS)
JOHN ADAMS (HBO)
RECOUNT (HBO)

Best performance by an actress in a mini-series or motion picture made for TV
JUDI DENCH – CRANFORD
ATHERINE KEENER – AN AMERICAN CRIME
LAURA LINNEY – JOHN ADAMS
SHIRLEY MACLAINE – COCO CHANEL
SUSAN SARANDON – BERNARD AND DORIS

Best performance by an actor in a mini-series or motion picture made for TV
RALPH FIENNES – BERNARD AND DORIS
PAUL GIAMATTI – JOHN ADAMS
KEVIN SPACEY – RECOUNT
KIEFER SUTHERLAND – 24: REDEMPTION
TOM WILKINSON – RECOUNT

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or motion picture made for television
EILEEN ATKINS – CRANFORD
LAURA DERN – RECOUNT
MELISSA GEORGE – IN TREATMENT
RACHEL GRIFFITHS – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
DIANNE WIEST – IN TREATMENT

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or motion picture made for TV
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS – HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
DENIS LEARY – RECOUNT
JEREMY PIVEN – ENTOURAGE
BLAIR UNDERWOOD – IN TREATMENT
TOM WILKINSON – JOHN ADAMS

– Denise Duguay

Words of TV wisdom from Esquire magazine

The most recent edition of Esquire magazine is the great annual collection called What I’ve Learned, sampling the wisdom — sometimes rambling, sometimes brilliant — of celebrities from politics (Bill Richardson), film (Clint Eastwood, Gus Van Sant), music (Eminem), Planet Famous for Being Famous (Paris Hilton) and — most importantly for this finger on the pulse blog, television.

Here are a couple of highlights of the bon mots tossed out by TV types. If you need an excuse to procrastinate from holiday shopping, you are welcome my friend.

Another option, if you’re waiting in the car while your wife is battling the crowds inside the mall (for shame!), is to pick up a copy of the mag.

From this year’s edition, here’s Bob Newhart, comedian and star of 50 or 60 self-titled shows and specials, including Newhart and The Bob Newhart Show:

“The calm-deliverything started when I was an accountant. At the end of the day, I’d be really going crazy. I had this friend of mine in advertising. I’d call him up and play a character, just to break the monotony of things. I’d call and I’d say, “Mr. Stevenson, I don’t mean to bother you, but I’m here at the yeast factory, and a fire broke out, and they sent over a bunch of fire engines and they’re throwing water. I gotta run up to the second floor, ’cause the yeast is rising.” I’d just make a whole scenario, and he was the straight man.”

And from the magazine’s What I’ve Learned archives, here’s a more sombre observation from the late, great George Carlin, comedian:

“I was in my mother’s belly as she sat in the waiting room of the abortionist’s office. Dr. Sunshine was his code name. I was fifty feet from the drainpipe, and she saw a painting on the wall that reminded her of her mother, who had recently died. She took that as a sign to have the baby. That’s what I call luck.”

– Denise Duguay