In a move that has infuriated TV academy officials, various L.A.-based members of the academy leaked (via text messages) potential Emmy nominees, noting the 10 programs being screened in the comedy and drama categories. The story quickly leaked to media outlets including the New York Post, and a small-screen hullabaloo was born. A spokeswoman with the academy noted that all members involved with the voting are required to sign a confidentiality agreement. She added that her organization would "not comment on any violations of that [confidentiality] agreement or on any speculative reporting of nomination data."
With the suspense slightly dashed, it is bad news for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, but there is good news for struggling General Electric (NYSE: GE) unit NBC, which scored 6 of the 20 "possible" nominations. Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC network scored 5. Other networks represented on the list included News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) FOX, CBS Corp.'s (NYSE: CBS) eponymous network and Showtime, and HBO - a division of Time Warner (NYSE: TWX).
Since the cat's out of the bag anyway, here's a breakdown of the 10 comedies and dramas being considered. Each list of 10 will eventually be whittled down to 5. The nominations will officially be reported on July 19.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
- NBC dramas on the short list: Friday Night Lights, Heroes
- NBC comedies on the short list: My Name is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs
- ABC dramas on the short list: Grey's Anatomy, Boston Legal, Lost
- ABC comedies on the short list: Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives
- FOX dramas on the short list: House, 24
- CBS/Showtime drama on the short list: Dexter
- CBS/Showtime comedies on the short list: Two and a Half Men, Weeds
- HBO dramas on the short list: The Sopranos, Rome
- HBO comedies on the short list: Extras (shared with BBC), Entourage
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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