The television academy is handing out Emmys this coming Sunday, and that means predictions. There is a lot of inertia that goes into the Emmys, with the same people and series tending to get nominated every year, but since we know there will be at least one surprise in the big categories, let's see if we can figure out what that might be. Could Tina Fey actually lose for once?

Best Actor in a Comedy: Alec Baldwin will probably be the favorite in this category as long as 30 Rock is on the air. The only factors working against him might be 1) a desire to break up the 30 Rock hegemony at some…

Sure, we all root for our favorite nominees come Emmy night. But let's be honest: The red carpet is, by far, the most entertaining portion of the festivities.

Besides the fact that it's devoid of any boring, lengthy, self-serving acceptance speeches, it's also our first glimpse at the fashion hits and misses that accompany each event. Of course, there are no safe bets. But we do have high fashion hopes for several of this year's Emmy nominees based on their past style performances.

Here are our predictions for the Emmys 2009 best-dressed list -- and hopefully, they'll all get to add gold…

Awards shows don't change much from year to year -- the ritual is part of the appeal. But the television academy made a couple of changes this year that have attracted some attention, and the tiny number of nominees in one of its most prestigious categories has raised the question of whether it should have made one additional change. Let's look at these one at a time:

Expanding the number of nominees: The best comedy series and best drama series battles are a bit more crowded this time around, as the number of nominations in both categories has been increased to seven. The number of acting…

Was The Simpsons robbed?

That's the word going around after the Academy announced voters had nominated Family Guy for a shot at a best comedy Emmy, marking only the second time in the history of the awards when an animated series broke the live action barrier.

The first, for those out there who like obscure trivia, was The Flintstones in 1961. If you want to know how much times have changed, The Flintstones was considered a slightly risque cartoon that ran in primetime. But then, those were also the days when TV couples slept in separate beds, and one foot had to be touching the floor. No joke.

T…

After Emmy nominations were revealed last week, the criticism was once again raised that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences might be just a little too snobbish, too in love with niche cable series and unwilling to extend honors to some of the shows that America watches regularly. Is this a fair rap?

Looking at some of the hit shows that the academy has been ignoring in the major categories presents a mixed bag: series that do deserve more Emmy attention, and others that, while popular, can't be said to represent high art.

NCIS: Now in the Nielsen Top Ten on a weekly basis, this is a…

With Emmy nominations fresh on our minds, we got our hands on some clips from The Paley Center featuring stars of two Emmy frontrunners: 30 Rock and Mad Men.

The shows were nominated last week for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series, respectively. 30 Rock leads the pack of nominees with 17 nods, with Mad Men not far behind. AMC's Little Show That Could earned 16 nominations.

In the first clip, two Emmy-nominated actors -- Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan -- discuss a third Emmy-nominated actor, co-star Alec Baldwin. See how the masterminds behind 30 Rock managed to get Baldwin to…

Few things are more predictable in pop culture than Emmy nominations, but the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences decided to throw in a few surprises this time around.

First things first: neither the departed Boston Legal or its much-honored star James Spader got nominations (though the series was not totally ignored, and more on that later). Likewise, Kiefer Sutherland was left out for 24, though as was the case at the Golden Globes, he scored a nomination for the 24 movie that served as a prequel of sorts to the seventh 24 season. And let's say it together and let it sink in: "The…

Emmy favorite 30 Rock leads the pack of this year's nominations with 22, including acting nods for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. (Both actors were also recognized in the Outstanding Commercials category for spots they starred in for American Express and Hulu, respectively.)

Big names including Jennifer Aniston were nominated for guest appearances on 30 Rock, while Justin Timberlake scored for his work on Saturday Night Live.

The HBO original movie Grey Gardens, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, scored 17 nominations, followed by last year's drama winner, Mad Men, with 16 nods.

In an…

A TV series by any other name than Battlestar Galactica probably would have enough Emmy statues to fill the universe.

But when it comes to the Emmy nominations, it's best to be on broadcast TV and not be scooting around in space. And god forbid your show gets canceled.

Even when you have a series as uniformly excellent as HBO's The Wire, it can still get the Emmy cold shoulder. The Emmy voters haven't been known as risk takers, and usually wait until the rest of the world has caught on to the fact that a show is hot before ever deciding to bestow a statue.

So here's our list of TV shows and…

Doogie Howser MD has come a long way.

Neil Patrick Harris, or NPH to his pals, has been building up a solid rep as comedy actor for years. But who knew he had some massive comedy chops as an awards show host? We should have known it from the way he can smack a line like a Barry Bonds homerun.

Let's face it, the Tony Awards lauding the best of New York theater isn't exactly the kind of show you'd expect anyone under 40 to give a tweet about. But after NPH's smokin' stint as the host of the TV Land Awards, and of course his fame on How I Met Your Mother, people would tune in just to see NPH's…

Editor's Note: This is a weekly guest post from BuddyTV. Check back every Wednesday for more from BuddyTV.com on the state of television and your favorite shows like 24, Grey's Anatomy, Lost and Gossip Girl.

At the end of this week, Emmy voters will be sent their ballots to select this year's nominees. While old standards like William Shatner in Boston Legal and Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men are sure to be nominated, there are a ton of under-appreciated potential candidates out there who desperately need a vote.

These shows may not be as popular as CSI, but they are true gems that deserve…

Primetime always seems to have a designated diva, and over the last year that role has been filled nicely by Katherine Heigl, who never seems to be short of tart opinions regarding Grey's Anatomy castmates past and present, and the quality of Grey's scripts. One must admit that in the wake of Izzie's affair with a ghost, Heigl's criticisms looked sharper than ever.

But with a new storyline that has Izzie facing cancer, Heigl has a chance to shine in what just might be the beginning of her long-rumored departure for the world of bad romantic comedies. This week (ABC, Thursday 9 PM), Izzie…

How do you solve a problem like the Emmys? Here's the wrong answer: Paula Abdul.

The New York Post is reporting that the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will create a new Emmy category recognizing reality show judges. This would pretty much ensure that no one will watch the already-flagging Emmys next year. Who will be designing the trophy girls' outfits -- Heidi Montag for Anchor Blue?

The dumbing-down of the Emmy ceremony was evident the moment this year's five reality show host nominees took the stage and rambled on about how grateful they were to be included. Then they spent the…

Although created by reality star designers, the dresses of the Emmy trophy girls did not steal any spotlights during last night's awards. The gowns designed by The Hills star Lauren Conrad and Project Runway Season Four winner Christian Siriano received little recognition during a night honoring the stars of the small screen. Lauren Conrad created a classic dark green dress that featured a diamond brooch. The look was reminiscent of old Hollywood glamor, but simple enough to keep the attention on the Emmy winners. On the other hand, the multi-layered magenta gown designed by Christian Siriano…

Sandra Oh and Eva Longoria were among the fashion standouts at the 60th Annual Emmy Awards Sunday night.

It was a night rich with long, flowing dresses and tresses, splashes of color, metallics, straplessness and flashy jewelry.

Lauren Conrad was one of the first to arrive. She was dressed in one of her own designs -- a flowy, navy blue, strapless, Grecian style dress, which was adorned simply with a rhinestone brooch on the chest. It resembled another of her creations we'd see later on one of the award presenters.

For a young, budding designer, her gowns weren't half-bad. You can never…

I'm wearing the tux last called into service for the series finale of Cavemen in honor of the Emmys. I'm here for all three hours, unless William Shatner wins. Some things just have to be protested.

8:00 The show begins with a passel of current stars reciting some of the great catchphrases in TV history. Dy-no-mite!

8:01 Trumpets and a choir of the heavenly host announce Oprah's entrance to the stage. She pontificates for a bit, then turns the night over to the five hosts for the evening, the nominees for best reality host. Heidi Klum stands in the center, the tallest of the five. Jeff…

The Emmys telecast managed to be mildly entertaining in spite of -- and definitely not because of -- its five reality show hosts, all of whom should stick to their day jobs. That opening monologue? Painful. Jeremy Piven put it best while accepting his award for his role as Ari Gold in Entourage: "What if I just kept talking for 12 minutes, what would happen? That was the opening."

Some quick highlights from last night's ceremony:

Hurrah! James Spader didn't win! More importantly, the much-deserving Bryan Cranston did. Granted, no one's watching Breaking Bad on AMC, but I support good…

For the first time in a while, I'm excited for this Sunday's Emmys broadcast. I feel a serious Mad Men domination coming on (writing, design, costumes, etc.) and it feels good, baby.

Sadly, AMC's original-programming juggernaut can't win every race, so here I muse about other Emmy's other possibilities.

Outstanding Actor, Drama

James Spader has already won for his addictively demented turn as Alan Shore on Boston Legal, as has Hugh Laurie for his equally dark lead as Gregory House. I love Bryan Cranston, but how many people have actually seen Breaking Bad? And, as much as I adored Gabriel…