The second-most important announcement today

Well, it's not the name of LeBron James' next team, but it's something. Early Thursday morning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Leading the pack -- again -- was HBO, with a total of 101 nominations, thanks in large part to its WWII miniseries The Pacific, which topped all programming with a whopping 24 nominations. ABC placed first among the broadcast networks with 63 total nominations; last year, NBC was the leading nominee with 67.

Fox's freshman musical series Glee led all regular series with 19 nominations, followed by AMC's third-year drama Mad Men, which actually added one nomination to its already impressive total from last year. In 2009, by comparison, 30 Rock led all programs with 22 nominations, followed by HBO's Grey Gardens (17) and AMC's Mad Men (16). Each of those programs ultimately won multiple awards.

Glee was not the only first-year series to impress Academy voters; ABC's hit new comedy Modern Family also collected 14 nominations -- including many in various acting categories -- while the CBS drama The Good Wife added another nine and Showtime's Nurse Jackie was nominated eight times. (Yes, the latter program just aired its second season, but the nominations were for last year's first season.) However, some critically-acclaimed first-year shows weren't so lucky: HBO's Treme (2 nominations), FX's Justified (1 nomination), and NBC's Community (0 nominations) were virtually ignored by Academy voters.

Listed below are this year's nominees in every major category.

The nominations: Best series and specials

Outstanding Comedy Series

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
30 Rock			Modern Family *
Curb Your Enthusiasm			Nurse Jackie *
Glee *			The Office

* First-time nominee

Many experts correctly predicted that first-year series Modern Family and Glee would break into this club, to which 30 Rock (the winner in three consecutive years), Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Office are no strangers. The one surprise is Showtime's Edie Falco dramedy Nurse Jackie, which earned a nod ahead of shows like Parks and Recreation, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and fellow Showtime comedy Weeds, which was nominated last year.

Outstanding Drama Series

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
Breaking Bad			Lost
Dexter			Mad Men
The Good Wife *			True Blood *

* First-time nominee

For the second consecutive year, cable network AMC placed two shows (Breaking Bad and Mad Men) in this category; the latter won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in each of the last two years, and has now earned a total of 49 nominations over its three seasons. The final season of Lost netted the drama a dozen nominations, matching its high-water mark established in its debut season, when it won this category. Dexter was also anticipated to be here -- as was CBS's freshman drama The Good Wife -- but HBO's second-year vampire drama True Blood is the closest this group has to a surprise. Shut out here was Fox's House (nominated in each of the four previous seasons) and the likely final season of FX's legal drama Damages, which could not secure its third consecutive nomination in this category.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
The Colbert Report			Saturday Night Live
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart			The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
Real Time with Bill Maher

Yes, that nomination for NBC's late-night talk show does say "... with Conan O'Brien," and wouldn't the comedian love to have that trophy sitting on the set of his new TBS show when it debuts this fall. Comedy Central's late-night twin bill has been here before: it is The Colbert Report's fifth consecutive nomination, and The Daily Show's 10th, and the latter program will be going for its eighth straight victory. However, Saturday Night Live seems to win here every 17 years; the sketch program took home Emmys in 1976 and 1993, so perhaps another win in 2010 is possible. (Well, maybe not, but with this year's nominations, SNL has passed medical drama ER to become the most nominated show in television history with 126.)

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
Bill Maher "...But I'm Not Wrong"			Robin Williams: Weapons Of Self Destruction
Hope For Haiti Now	Various		The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert
The Kennedy Center Honors			Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me

Outstanding Made For Television Movie

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
Endgame			The Special Relationship
Georgia O'Keeffe			Temple Grandin
Moonshot			You Don't Know Jack

Outstanding Miniseries

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
The Pacific			Return to Cranford

HBO typically dominates these categories -- especially since the major networks all but abandoned the miniseries and movie formats -- and this year was no exception. This is only the second time there have been just two nominees in the miniseries category; the previous such occurrence was last year, when PBS's Little Dorrit defeated HBO's Generation Kill. Don't expect a repeat of that triumph for PBS this year. A win in the movie category for HBO is also likely; the last time the cable network failed to win the made-for-TV movie Emmy was 2003.

Outstanding Reality Program

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
Antiques Roadshow			Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List
Dirty Jobs			MythBusters
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution			Undercover Boss

CBS' surprise first-year hit Undercover Boss and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution are the two newcomers here, while last year's winner, Intervention, was not nominated. Kathy Griffin's show has won twice before (in 2007 and 2008).

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
The Amazing Race			Project Runway
American Idol			Top Chef
Dancing With The Stars

Sure, The Amazing Race has won this category in each of the past seven years, but maybe this year will be different. Then again, maybe not: all five nominees are identical to last year's group. And 2008's. And 2007's.

Outstanding Animated Program

Nominee	Network		Nominee	Network
Alien Earths	NGC		The Simpsons
Disney Prep & Landing			South Park
The Ricky Gervais Show

Since 2005, South Park and The Simpsons have traded off winning this award; if the pattern holds, it will be The Simpsons this year. Note that the Academy also gives out an award for short-form animation; the nominees this year include Robot Chicken and several children's shows.

The nominations: Acting and hosting

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Alec Baldwin	30 Rock		Matthew Morrison	Glee
Steve Carell	The Office		Jim Parsons	The Big Bang Theory
Larry David	Curb Your Enthusiasm		Tony Shalhoub	Monk

There is just one newcomer here -- Matthew Morrison, from Fox's Glee -- though his inclusion is not a surprise. Baldwin, of course, has won this award in each of the past two years, and the remaining actors have each appeared here many times over the past decade, with the exception of Parsons, still a relative newcomer who earned his first nomination just last year. David's nomination is his 21st overall, but just his 4th as an actor. Who is out this year? Two and a Half Men's Charlie Sheen, who was nominated in each of the past four seasons.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Toni Collette	United States of Tara		Julia Louis-Dreyfus	The New Adventures of Old Christine
Edie Falco	Nurse Jackie		Lea Michele	Glee
Tina Fey	30 Rock		Amy Poehler	Parks and Recreation

It might be Falco's first nomination as a lead in a comedy series, but it certainly isn't her first chance at an Emmy; the versatile actress was nominated six times (and won three times) for her work on The Sopranos, and also received a nomination in 2008 for a guest appearance on 30 Rock. Also new to this category are Amy Poehler (nominated twice before as a supporting actress for SNL) and Lea Michele (her very first nomination), while the other three nominees are returning. Collette won last year, Fey, the year before, and Louis-Dreyfus, in 2006, so expect this to be one of the most competitive categories this year. Left out were Mary-Louise Parker of Weeds (who was nominated each of the previous three years) and Golden Globe nominee Courtney Cox of Cougar Town (who also failed to earn any nominations while on Friends).

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Ty Burrell	Modern Family		Jesse Tyler Ferguson	Modern Family
Chris Colfer	Glee		Neil Patrick Harris	How I Met Your Mother
Jon Cryer	Two and a Half Men		Eric Stonestreet	Modern Family

The only Modern Family adult cast member not to earn a nomination this year? Ed O’Neill. Still, the first-year sitcom accounts for half of this category, with Glee's Chris Colfer adding yet another fresh face to the group as the most unexpected nominee. Who is missing? Unlike in recent years, there's no Jeremy Piven or Kevin Dillon from Entourage, no Rainn Wilson from The Office, and nobody from 30 Rock. Out of the two returning actors, Cryer won last year, and Harris has now been nominated in four consecutive seasons.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Julie Bowen	Modern Family		Holland Taylor	Two and a Half Men
Jane Lynch	Glee		Sofia Vergara	Modern Family
Jane Krakowski	30 Rock		Kristen Wiig	Saturday Night Live

Two more Modern Family regulars join fan favorite Jane Lynch as first-time nominees in this group. The remaining actresses have each been here before at least once, but none of them have won before -- meaning that this category is up for grabs.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Kyle Chandler	Friday Night Lights		Michael C. Hall	Dexter
Bryan Cranston	Breaking Bad		Jon Hamm	Mad Men
Matthew Fox	Lost		Hugh Laurie	House

Cranston won this award in each of the past two seasons, and with Breaking Bad growing in acclaim and ratings this year, he could collect the trophy again. Hall, Hamm, and Laurie are also regulars in this category, but Matthew Fox had never been nominated before; in fact, no actor from Lost was ever nominated in this category until this final season. Chandler's nomination is also his first. Out is The Mentalist's Simon Baker, who was nominated last year.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Connie Britton	Friday Night Lights		January Jones	Mad Men
Glenn Close	Damages		Julianna Margulies	The Good Wife
Mariska Hargitay	Law & Order: SVU		Kyra Sedgwick	The Closer

Close -- a winner in each of the past two years -- was widely expected to repeat as a nominee, while Golden Globe winner Margulies was also considered a lock for her oft-praised performance in the freshman series The Good Wife. While there weren't many surprises among the other nominees (especially Hargitay and Sedgwick, who are here every year), the first-time nomination for Friday Night Lights' Britton counts as one. She's replacing Sally Field, who was nominated in the previous two years for Brothers & Sisters.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Andre Braugher	Men of a Certain Age		Aaron Paul	Breaking Bad
Michael Emerson	Lost		Martin Short	Damages
Terry O'Quinn	Lost		John Slattery	Mad Men

Any Emmy nomination for Andre Braugher is a good thing, but consider him a longshot against the sentimental favorites from Lost's final season. Emerson won the award last year, but had much less screen time this season, perhaps allowing an opening for the Academy to recognize the best performance of the bunch in Aaron Paul's work on Breaking Bad. O'Quinn won in 2007; Slattery was also nominated in Mad Men's first two seasons. Martin Short actually turned in a fine, against-type performance as a shady lawyer on Damages, but, like Paul, needs to overcome the fact that fewer people have seen his show.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Christine Baranski	The Good Wife		Christina Hendricks	Mad Men
Rose Byrne	Damages		Elisabeth Moss	Mad Men
Sharon Gless	Burn Notice		Archie Panjabi	The Good Wife

Of the group, only Byrne was also nominated last year (oft-nominated Grey's Anatomy co-stars Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson are among the omissions this year), though both Baranski and Gless have multiple nominations from prior TV work. It's the first nomination for Baranski's Good Wife co-star Panjabi and Mad Men's Hendricks, while fellow Mad woman Moss was nominated as a lead actress last year.

Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Jeff Bridges	A Dog Year		Dennis Quaid	The Special Relationship
Ian McKellen	The Prisoner		Michael Sheen	The Special Relationship
Al Pacino	You Don't Know Jack

There's no shortage of star power here, but three of the actors are actually first-time Emmy nominees; only McKellen (5 total nominations) and Pacino (2 nominations, 1 win for Angels in America) had prior recognition for their TV work.

Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Joan Allen	Georgia O'Keeffe		Judi Dench	Return to Cranford
Claire Danes	Temple Grandin		Maggie Smith	Capturing Mary
Hope Davis	The Special Relationship

All five actresses here are returning nominees, but only Maggie Smith has ever won an Emmy.

Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Michael Gambon	Emma		Patrick Stewart	Hamlet
John Goodman	You Don't Know Jack		David Strathairn	Temple Grandin
Jonathan Pryce	Return to Cranford

Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Kathy Bates	Alice		Susan Sarandon	You Don't Know Jack
Catherine O'Hara	Temple Grandin		Brenda Vaccaro	You Don't Know Jack
Julia Ormond	Temple Grandin

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Will Arnett	30 Rock		Mike O'Malley	Glee
Jon Hamm	30 Rock		Eli Wallach	Nurse Jackie
Neil Patrick Harris	Glee		Fred Willard	Modern Family

Both Harris and Hamm are two-time nominees this year.

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Christine Baranski	The Big Bang Theory		Jane Lynch	Two and a Half Men
Kristin Chenoweth	Glee		Elaine Stritch	30 Rock
Tina Fey	Saturday Night Live		Betty White	Saturday Night Live
Kathryn Joosten	Desperate Housewives

Perhaps the Academy is hoping that some of that Betty White magic will boost its ratings for this year's Emmy ceremony, but it certainly isn't her first time being nominated; her recent SNL hosting gig earned White her 16th career nomination. Baranski, Lynch, and Fey are also two-time nominees this year.

Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Dylan Baker	The Good Wife		Gregory Itzin	24
Beau Bridges	The Closer		John Lithgow	Dexter
Alan Cumming	The Good Wife		Robert Morse	Mad Men
Ted Danson	Damages

Though he was as close to a sure thing as any nominee in any category, it seems almost unfair to have Lithgow here rather than in the supporting actor category; his character was an integral part of the past season of Dexter, and he had far more screen time than any of his fellow nominees.

Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Shirley Jones	The Cleaner		Mary Kay Place	Big Love
Ann-Margret	Law & Order: SVU		Sissy Spacek	Big Love
Elizabeth Mitchell	Lost		Lily Tomlin	Damages

While the HBO drama Big Love is often heralded for its talented actors, the show has never received a single Emmy acting nomination outside of this category.

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Nominee	Show		Nominee	Show
Tom Bergeron	Dancing with the Stars		Jeff Probst	Survivor
Phil Keoghan	The Amazing Race		Ryan Seacrest	American Idol
Heidi Klum	Project Runway

It's just the third year that the Academy has recognized reality show hosts; Probst is the only person to ever win the award (though his show, Survivor, is not itself nominated this year).

More Emmy coverage

The Emmy Awards have no shortage of categories and nominations -- so much so that we can't list them all here. To get a full list of the 2010 nominees, visit the official Emmy website. Over the next few months, we'll determine the expected winners in the major categories by sampling a variety of experts -- but not before we ask you to offer your own predictions. And then, next month, the big night arrives: the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will air live (including on the West Coast for the first time in over three decades) on NBC on Sunday, August 29th at 8:00p (5:00p PT).

What are TV critics saying about the nominations? Here is some early analysis:

• David Bianculli (TV Worth Watching)
• Eric Deggans (St. Petersburg Times)
• James Poniewozik (Time)
• Maureen Ryan (Chicago Tribune)
• Alan Sepinwall (HitFix)

What do you think of the nominations? Let us know in the comments section below.