“The Sopranos� could dominate its last Emmy Awards. Or could it be foiled by the fresh-faced kids of “Heroes�?

The nominations announced Thursday for the 59th annual awards ceremony in September give the edge to HBO’s landmark drama, whose 15 nominations were the most for any series. But the sci-fi sensation “Heroes� earned an impressive eight bids for its first season, including best drama.

Cutting-edge shows dominated the comedy series category, with “Ugly Betty� leading the charge with 11 nominations. Medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,� after a rocky year that saw the firing of Isaiah Washington over his use of an anti-gay slur, scored 10 nominations, including a best-drama bid and supporting nominations for four cast members.

Kyra Sedgwick (�The Closer�) and Jon Cryer (�Two And a Half Men�) helped announce the nominations Thursday morning in a brief ceremony in Los Angeles. And they were both nominated; Sedgwick for lead actress in a drama and Cryer for supporting actor in a comedy.

“She’s all ruffled. She didn’t know that was coming!� Cryer said of Sedgwick, who flubbed her lines after announcing her own nomination.

The made-for-TV movie “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee� led all nominees with 17 bids.

In the reality-competition categories, the leading nominee with eight bids was “Dancing With the Stars,� followed by “American Idol� with seven.

Altogether, HBO was the most-recognized network with 86 bids, followed by ABC with 70, NBC with 69, CBS with 44, Fox with 28, and PBS with 24.

The Emmy Awards will be broadcast Sept. 16 by Fox from the Shrine Auditorium.

Amoung the Heroes Emmy nominations:

# Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: William Shatner, “Boston Legal,� ABC; T.R. Knight, “Grey’s Anatomy,� ABC; Masi Oka, “Heroes,� NBC; Michael Emerson, “Lost,� ABC; Terry O’Quinn, “Lost,� ABC; Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos,� HBO.

# Drama Series: “Boston Legal,� ABC; “Grey’s Anatomy,� ABC; “Heroes,� NBC; “House,� Fox; “The Sopranos,� HBO.

Compiled from Associated Press reports.

You can read the full article at: http://www.contracostatimes.com

The Writers Guild of America have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television writing during the 2006 season, and NBC got 4 of the 5 spots for New Series with Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Friday Night Lights and 30 Rocks. The 5th spot is reserved for Ugly Betty.

Here’s a listing of nominess:

New Series

• 30 Rock, Written by Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, John Riggi; NBC
• Friday Night Lights, Written by Peter Berg, Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Carter Harris, Elizabeth Heldens, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Andy Miller, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, John Zinman; NBC
• Heroes, Written by Jesse Alexander, Adam Armus, Natalie Chaidez, Aron Eli Coleite, Kay Foster, Bryan Fuller, Michael J. Green, Tim Kring, Jeph Loeb, Joe Pokaski; NBC
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Written by Eli Attie, Christina Kiang Booth, Jessica Brickman, Dana Calvo, Mark Goffman, David Handelman, Cinque Henderson, Mark McKinney, Melissa Myers, Aaron Sorkin, Amy Turner; NBC
• Ugly Betty, Written by Veronica Becker, Oliver Goldstick, Silvio Horta, Sarah Kucserka, Sheila Lawrence, Cameron Litvack, Myra Jo Martino, Jim Parriott, Marco Pennette, Dailyn Rodriguez, Don Todd; ABC

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