Emmy Awards nominations HBO dominates

The period melodrama about a self-made woman with a spoiled, backstabbing daughter earned Joan Crawford her first and only Oscar for the 1945 film version of the James M. Cain novel. And on Thursday, HBO's lavish remake earned the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards' highest number of nominations — 21 — including those for miniseries or movie, lead actress for Kate Winslet and director for Todd Haynes.

That capped a morning in which HBO earned a stunning 104 nods. Besides "Mildred Pierce," the premium cable channel's two freshman series, "Game of Thrones" and "Boardwalk Empire," captured multiple nominations, as did the movies "Cinema Verite" and "Too Big to Fail."

There wasn't even a close second. CBS followed in the nomination count with 50, then NBC with 46. HBO's rival,Showtime, had 21. The series with the largest number of nominations were "Mad Men" with 19, "Boardwalk Empire" with 18, "Modern Family" with 17, "Saturday Night Live" with 16 and "Game of Thrones" with 13.

Nominated in the drama series category are "Mad Men," which has won this prize three years in a row, as well as"Dexter," "The Good Wife," "Game of Thrones," "Boardwalk Empire" and "Friday Night Lights." The nod for "Friday Night Lights" comes just one day before the series ends its critically lauded run.

"After five seasons, it just feels incredible to have the show recognized," said actress Connie Britton, who was nominated along with costar Kyle Chandler. "It was long deserved, I think."

Comedy series nominations went to "Glee," "Modern Family,""The Office" and "30 Rock," and to two newcomers in the category: CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," which earned this nod in its fourth season, and NBC's quirky comedy "Parks and Recreation."

"We've had an interesting road," said "Parks and Recreation" star and producer Amy Poehler, "so I guess this is a sort of validation."

In the lead actor in a drama series category, the nominees areSteve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire," Chandler for "Friday Night Lights," Michael C. Hall for "Dexter," Hugh Laurie for"House," Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" and Timothy Olyphantfor "Justified."

Lead actress nominees in a drama series are Kathy Bates for"Harry's Law," Britton for "Friday Night Lights," Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men" and Mireille Enos for the new AMC thriller "The Killing."

Enos joked that if she won, Emmy host Jane Lynch could find plenty of joke material in the somber character she plays. "She probably could talk about my [character's] terrible wardrobe," said Enos. "Or the fact that I never smile."

Steve Carell is a sentimental favorite for lead actor in a comedy series for his final season on "The Office," but he will be competing against Matt LeBlanc for "Episodes," Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock," Louis C.K. for "Louie," Johnny Galecki for "The Big Bang Theory" and last year's winner, Jim Parsons, also for "The Big Bang Theory."

Vying for lead actress in a comedy series are Edie Falco, last year's winner, for "Nurse Jackie"; Laura Linney in "The Big C," Tina Fey for "30 Rock," Melissa McCarthy for "Mike & Molly" and Poehler for "Parks & Recreation."

Two octogenarians — Betty White and Cloris Leachman — also earned nominations in comedy series categories, White for supporting actress and Leachman for guest actress. White ("Hot in Cleveland") received her 17th Emmy nomination, and Leachman ("Raising Hope") picked up her 22nd nomination.

"I'm still in shock — I'm so thrilled I can't see straight!" White said Thursday morning. "I was in bed with the golden retriever. My agent called. He said congratulations — I'd totally forgotten. So I said out loud, I said, 'Waaiiiitt.' The dog thought something wonderful had happened."

Among the day's many surprises were the 10 nominations announced for ReelzChannel's controversial miniseries "The Kennedys," including movie or miniseries, as well as nominations for stars Greg Kinnear and Barry Pepper, who play John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, respectively.

PBS earned 43 nominations Thursday, including 11 for its lavish "Masterpiece" miniseries about the British aristocracy, "Downton Abbey," which was nominated for miniseries or movie and lead actress in a movie or miniseries for Elizabeth McGovern. The reboot of the classic "Upstairs Downstairs" earned six nominations, including one for Jean Marsh for lead actress in a miniseries or movie. It's déjà vu for Marsh: She was nominated three years in a row for her performance as the maid Rose in the series when it originally aired in the 1970s. Rounding out the miniseries or movie category are "Cinema Verite," "Too Big to Fail" and "The Pillars of the Earth."

"Saturday Night Live" continues its record run of Emmy nominations, with a nod for variety, music or comedy series. Cast member Kristen Wiig secured a spot in the comedy supporting actress category, and Justin Timberlake scored three nominations Thursday as guest actor on a comedy series for his hosting duties on "Saturday Night Live," as well as co-writing two songs from that episode.

Jane Lynch, who won the Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy for "Glee" last year and earned a nomination in the same category Thursday, is hosting the ceremony. The show is set to air Sept. 18 on Fox.