This is why I don't generally care about the Emmys

So this year, new rules were put in place during the process of selecting Emmy finalists, in the hopes of making the nominations more open and less prone to the "nominee for life" status that seems to follow some actors and shows.

The result? There were some nominees that we would likely have not seen - Denis Leary for Rescue Me and Kyra Sedgewick for The Closer stand out - but for the most part, there was a sad familiarity to the acting nominees.

Part of this comes from shows taking their final bows - The West Wing, Malcolm in the Middle, Will & Grace, and Six Feet Under were all well-represented shows that have closed their doors. Stockard Channing managed a nod for her work on Out of Practice, though I think voters may have seen her name and just assumed she was up for The West Wing.

Combined with the return of The Sopranos and some new-found love for 24, the biggest losers this time around were Desperate Housewives and Lost, neither of which was tabbed for outstanding show and only generated one regular acting nomination for Alfre Woodard's directionless turn as Betty Applewhite on Housewives.

Not that either show lived up to its first-year performance/hype. But it's still pretty surprising.

Not that the news was all bad for ABC - Grey's Anatomy picked up 11 nominations. And while I keep saying I don't really care about the Emmys, I will be vexed beyond repair if Chandra Wilson doesn't win. Miranda Bailey completely kicks ass.

So who else would I give Emmys to, based on the nominees?

Supporting Actor, Drama - Gregory Itzin, 24. His Nixon for the 21st century was a fantastic melding of megalomania and insecurity.
Supporting Actor, Comedy - Will Arnett, Arrested Development. This isn't even close for me, though not watching Entourage means I can't assess Jeremy Piven's performance.
Supporting Actress, Drama - Chandra Wilson, fools!
Supporting Actress, Comedy - I can't think that Woodard's performance was the best on here - not her fault, really - so I'll go in the unexpected direction and go with Jaime Pressly on My Name is Earl.

Lead Actor, Drama - A win for Denis Leary and Rescue Me would be nice. Lead Actor, Comedy - Steve Carrell, The Office. To be fair, it's the only show for the nominees that I watch regularly.
Lead Actress, Drama - Allison Janney, The West Wing. For all my carping earlier, I still loves me some C. J. Cregg. Sorry.
Lead Actress, Comedy - Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback. Because, really, with the other choices, I'll take the HBO show I've never seen.

Outstanding Drama - House. It has no shot, between a possible send-off award for The West Wing, the buzz for Grey's Anatomy, and the return of The Sopranos, but for me House is the best of the five (though again, no HBO makes me less than an authority on The Sopranos). It's just a shame that Hugh Laurie didn't get a nod.

Outstanding Comedy - Arrested Development. Yup, I've drank the Kool-Aid. I can only hope that, if it does win, the orchestra plays "The Final Countdown" while the cast ambles to the stage.