Bright and early this morning, Chandra Wilson and Jim Parsons announced the nominees for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.

Just like last year, we saw many first-timers named and a long list of cable acknowledgements (for both pay and basic channels). Thanks to expanded categories, we also saw a number of surprises (Flight of the Conchords, Family Guy) and overdue nominations (How I Met Your Mother, Big Love).

For the second year in a row, Mad Men, with its 16 nominations, topped all drama programs. Meanwhile, 30 Rock broke comedy records with a whopping 22 noms. Overall, HBO was the most-nominated network with 99 mentions while NBC - yes, NBC - came in second.

This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris on Sept. 20 on CBS.

Outstanding Drama Series

• Big Love
• Breaking Bad
• Damages
• Dexter
• House
• Lost
• Mad Men (last year’s winner)

Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama

• Simon Baker, The Mentalist
• Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
• Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad  (last year’s winner)
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, House

Notable omission: No more nominations for Boston Legal‘s James Spader. Woo hoo!

Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama

• Glenn Close, Damages  (last year’s winner)
• Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (last year’s winner)
• Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
• Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
• Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama

• Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
• Michael Emerson, Lost
• William Hurt, Damages
• Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
• William Shatner, Boston Legal
• John Slattery, Mad Men

Notable item: William Shatner…again?? I thought we were done with that show!

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama

• Rose Byrne, Damages
• Hope Davis, In Treatment
• Cherry Jones, 24
• Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
• Dianne Wiest, In Treatment  (last year’s winner)
• Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy

Notable omission: Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy (Guess that cancer storyline didn’t work for her after all.)

Outstanding Comedy Series

• 30 Rock (last year’s winner)
• Entourage
• Family Guy
• Flight of the Conchords
• How I Met Your Mother
• The Office
• Weeds

Notable item: Family Guy. (First animated series since 1961’s The Flintstones to be nominated in this category. I’m sure The Simpsons are pissed.)
Notable omissions: Two and a Half Men (Ratings apparently don’t mean much.)

Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock  (last year’s winner)
• Steve Carell, The Office
• Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
• Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
• Tony Shalhoub, Monk
• Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Notable item: Jim Parsons. (Didn’t you know nerds were hot again?)

Oustanding Lead Actress, Comedy

• Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
• Toni Collette, United States of Tara
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock (last year’s winner)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
• Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program

Notable omissions: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (I doubt the show’s move to Fridays will help her next year.)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy

• Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
• Kevin Dillon, Entourage
• Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
• Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
• Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
• Rainn Wilson, The Office

Notable item:McBrayer and Morgan. (I’m surprised it’s taken this long to get them on here.)
Notable omissions: Jeremy Piven (Entourage), last year’s winner. (Was his absence a result of mercury poisoning?)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy

• Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
• Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
• Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
• Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
• Kristin Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
• Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Notable item: Kristin Wiig (What’s more shocking than two SNL ladies at the same time? Two women who spell their name Kristin. The fact that the Academy spelled her first name wrong!)
Notable omission: Jean Smart, Samantha Who? (last year’s winner)

(You can find the full list of nominees here.)