'LOST' CHAPPELLE WORTH EVERY DOLLAR
No matter what you're doing this Sunday night, make sure that you're home by 9, that your TV is tuned to Comedy Central, and that you have strapped yourself safely into your sofa.
If all of that is done, then and only then can you safely watch the first of three "Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes" which are so funny that without safety restraints, you might fall off the couch from laughing so hard, tragically hit your head and die an early death.
Yes, Chappelle's last skits are that funny and make it clear just why Comedy Central would have offered him as much as $55 million bucks- if only he would have stayed.
Yes, that's $55 million bucks Chappelle walked away from.
But before he took off for South Africa, Chappelle had put a bunch of skits into the can - which make it very, very (did I mention very?) clear that the man was obviously conflicted about all that dough and what it can do to a guy. Or maybe he's just nuts.
Hosted by hilarious "Chappelle's Show" collaborator/cast members Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings, the sketches involve, yes, Chappelle's fantasy of what others would do to him if he got that kind of dough and what he'd do to others if he had that kind of long money.
In the what-happens-to- everyone-else skit, Chappelle is off on St. Thomas getting a haircut. When the barbers ask him how much he makes, he plays down his Comedy Central take-home.
"It's just cable," he says, shrugging it off as the land of cheapskates. Just then, two BET reporters on the barber shop TV announce that Chappelle's new contract is for $55 million.
Suddenly the price of the haircut shoots to $18,000. When Chappelle starts screaming that it should be eight dollars, the barber replies, "That was the old price!" And shows his gun.
Then there's the-what-would-happen-to-him-if-he-got-that-rich skit. I'll only tell you it's called, "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Up Cold" (a maxim not only created by my Sicilian forefathers but one we foremothers live by to this day!).
It is absolutely throw-your-back-out funny - again a sketch best watched with a restraining device. Maybe Comedy Central should offer him $20,000 a year so he won't feel so guilty - and get back on TV. I still have the seat belts on the couch ... but that's another story.
Rick Rubin, music's rock
He has a boyish laugh and a mountain-man burliness, a taste for demonic speed-metal and angelic doo-wop harmonies. He has amplified the vilest spewing by shock artists, from the Geto Boys to Andrew "Dice" Clay, then coaxed choirboy delicacy from Roy Orbison and rekindled the wholesome singer/ songwriter craft of Neil Diamond.
Rick Rubin may be as impossible to pigeonhole as the starry and swollen catalog of music he has produced.
Declared by Rolling Stone the most successful producer in any genre, Rubin is the oracle of audio, a studio savant whose highly sought services launch trends and resuscitate icons. He's having a banner year as the knob-twirler behind a trio of hot albums. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium bowed at No. 1 in May, followed two weeks later by the chart-topping debut of the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way. This week, Johnny Cash's posthumous American V: A Hundred Highways, the fifth collaboration between Rubin and the country giant, hit shelves.
More is in the pipeline. Rubin is producing music by Linkin Park, Metallica and Justin Timberlake and is executive producer of Slayer's Christ Illusion, out Aug. 8.
The barefoot Buddha with the woolly salt-and-pepper beard seems out of sync in the courtyard of his hilltop English Tudor home, where best buddy actor Owen Wilson is steering his blue scooter out the driveway after a visit. Rubin heads for the backyard garden overlooking Zuma beach. He opens a bottle of passion-fruit green tea and sits lotus style in a deck chair, his tiny Yorkie Henry in his lap and a black Hungarian puli, Chompa, at his feet.
Highways, recorded in the last months of Cash's life, is cause for bittersweet celebration. Their collaboration represents another incongruity. Rubin initially struck Cash as a hobo. As their friendship deepened, they took daily communion together.
"We had a surprising amount of common ground, although on the face I can see it looked odd," Rubin, 43, says. "We both loved music and the history of music. We were interested in spirituality."
They met in 1993, when Cash was at a low ebb creatively. He felt burned out, and public interest had cooled after Columbia dumped him in 1986.
"I thought it would be a challenge to find a true legend who wasn't doing his best and see if we could change that," Rubin says. "Johnny was the first person I thought of, someone without peer, still capable of good work. He felt lost artistically."
Their first outing, 1994's American Recordings, reignited his career and drew young fans. Rubin persuaded him to overhaul such unlikely rock tunes as Nine Inch Nails' Hurt, Soundgarden's Rusty Cage and Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. On Highways, his frail vocals bring a profound sadness to Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. It's one of 60 tracks the pair recorded after American IV and before Cash died Sept. 12, 2003. Highways holds a dozen, and others will forge an American VI.
Highways "transcended record-making," Rubin says. "There was a dual purpose, a therapeutic benefit. It was important for his life, and I wasn't looking at the end result."
Devastated by Cash's death, Rubin channeled energies elsewhere, teaming with Slipknot, Jay-Z, Rage Against the Machine and The Jayhawks in 2004 and producing key 2005 releases: Weezer's Make Believe, System of a Down's Mesmerize and Hypnotize, Audioslave's Out of Exile and Diamond's 12 Songs.
Arguably the best in the American series, Highways and its sly wisdom, vulnerability and steely sense of acceptance defy conventional wisdom in the music industry, where artists normally peak early and fade. "It shows he was a true, honest artist and a great legendary hero from beginning to end," Rubin says.
Cash is the warmest chapter in Rubin's career, launched in 1984 when the Long Island native and Russell Simmons co-founded the Def Jam label, "a fun hobby that ended up being my job." The New York University film student had intended to enter law school (his needle phobia nixed med school plans) but detoured into production as a way to acquire music he couldn't find in stores.
"I'd buy 12-inch singles that didn't really reflect what hip-hop culture felt like," he says. "So as a fan, I started making records I wanted to hear. I didn't know it was a viable job."
A rap fanatic, Rubin soaked up "aggressive sounds and outlaw music" after growing up on heavy metal, punk, James Brown, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, oldies radio and doo-wop. He played guitar, joined punk bands and worked as a club DJ but never considered himself a musician.
As a producer, he made an immediate impact, playing a key role in rap's rise with such pivotal works as LL Cool J's Radio, the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill and Public Enemy's Yo! Bum Rush the Show. He pioneered rap-metal with his Walk This Way fusion by Aerosmith and Run-DMC.
In the early '90s, he left Def Jam and founded the rock-freighted Def American (later dropping the "Def"), expanding his palette with Tom Petty's Wildflowers and Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit. Eclectic and adaptable, he has less a signature than a sonic diary, taking on diverse acts from Danzig to Donovan. In 1991, he delivered the Peppers' breakthrough Blood Sugar Sex Magik plus parental nightmares by Slayer and Dice.
Why does this meditating vegan delight in music's wicked fringes?
"I like things that are unique and extreme," he says. Steeped in the edgier realms of metal and rap, Rubin retained his Zen vibe. He never tried drugs. "It's the combination of meditating and always being deeply into something. When I was young, I was into magic. Kids I knew did drugs or got drunk out of boredom. I didn't want to give up my time."
Music's a constant, yet he finds time for reading, movies and a serious girlfriend. An only child, Rubin never considered parenthood an appealing option until recently.
Owen Wilson says laughter bonds their eight-year friendship, along with Vespas and body surfing.
"He's also a fan of professional wrestling, and if you need a good yoga person, go to Rick," he says. "I'm not connected to his music stuff, though I might get a CD from him before people can buy it at Tower. We just have a good time laughing. He has a funny take on stuff. A lot of lines in my movies came directly from Rick. I can see him doing something outside music. We even talked about working on a comedy idea for HBO."
Nominated three times for a Grammy producer of the year award, he isn't driven by hits or honors. It's the journey. His role is "to inspire and challenge artists to do their best work, and to do it for the sake of the work as opposed to the ends," Rubin says. "So much is about the process and pleasing ourselves, not thinking, 'Can it get on the radio, will it be done in time?' I try to erase all the restrictions that I've seen impede great art over and over. If the album is great, everything else will follow."
Such was the plan for 12 Songs. Rubin says Diamond, whom he ranks alongside Paul Simon, created a cabaret image by drifting from his emotional core as a singer/songwriter.
Diamond agrees: "I was one of those radio stars killed by videos. It was hard to get back on track. With Rick, I found the right path. He picked up on the vibe of acoustic guitar and understatement, something I haven't done in years and wasn't able to replicate until this album."
"He has an inner peace," Diamond says of Rubin's studio manner. "He's a throwback to the '60s, a big lovable bear of a man. The only problem I had was his habit of hugging. At first, I was taken aback. After a while, I got to like it. He's like Father Earth taking you to his bosom."
Diamond was delighted when 12 Songs generated his strongest reviews since 1980's The Jazz Singer.
"It's been a long wait," he says.
Today's surplus of lousy albums results largely from the twisted agendas of labels and managers who fixate on deadlines and marketing rather than nurturing talent, says Rubin, adding, "I try to run interference and refocus everything on the art and the artist's truth. But I'm not a babysitter. I don't do hand-holding."
Veteran musicians are less rigid than insecure beginners, he says, noting, "Grown-up artists are usually more open to experimentation because they know who they are. When I did a song with Roy Orbison for a soundtrack, he knew I wouldn't make him less Roy Orbison."
Rubin plucks a broad assortment as favorites from his canon: Petty's Wildflowers, the Peppers' Californication, System of a Down's Toxicity, the Red Devils' live King King, Slayer's Reign in Blood and the new Cash. He'd love to produce a U2 disc.
He's dismayed by recent hip-hop's bling-oriented lyrics and derivative metal and blames much of pop's slump on a singles-oriented sensibility that regards artists as disposable. And he's offended by the industry's treatment of fans. "No other business could survive such an incredible arrogance against the consumer," Rubin says. "They don't seem to care about giving consumers what they want or giving value for their money."
Hailed as a song swami with sterling ears, Rubin says that he has never stopped learning and that every project has been an educational swap meet. He's reminded of a symbiotic moment, when he visited Cash and the singer was too ill to collect a lifetime achievement award. So he and Rubin watched the ceremony on TV.
"I could see he was in pain and having trouble seeing," Rubin says. "I didn't know what to talk about. I said, 'What have you been working on?' And he said, 'You probably don't remember this, but about five years ago, I wrote a song and you looked at the lyrics and told me maybe we should take out some of the I's and me's. Ever since you said that, I've been working on using the words "I" and "me" less.' Even at his worst, that depth of character came through."
The lesson? "Aim to be like that."
Shakira to headline World Cup closing ceremony
BERLIN (AP) - Shakira will headline the closing ceremony at the World Cup on Sunday.
The Colombian songstress will work her way down the stone stairs from the Marathon entrance of Berlin's Olympic stadium with local musicians and dancers in a 10-minute performance prior to the final between France and Italy.
Californian choreographer Doug Jack, who has worked on opening and closing ceremonies at the last five Olympics, said the program aimed to bring the energy and enthusiasm from the Fan Mile - where hundreds of thousands have gathered to watch World Cup matches on giant TV screens - into the stadium.
The mixture of vibes from the Fan Mile and the Love Parade, the capital's techno fest that drew 1.5 million to downtown Berlin at its peak in 1999, is something Jack said he wants to "bring into the arena and let go before the match."
For Shakira, it's a stop between gigs in Spain and Croatia.
Her single Hips Don't Lie is second in Billboard's Hot 100 behind Promiscuous by Canadian Nelly Furtado, whose Forca was anthem of the 2004 European championship.
The ceremony's creative director, Dieter Brell, said the World Cup had given Germany a chance to express a new image around the globe.
"We want to show Germany as our generation sees it," he said. "We're trying to be modern with the image of Germany we're presenting.
"We're a country that can dance and party and knows how to have fun."
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will sing at halftime in the final, "so there's a musical framework for what is happening on the pitch," Brell said.
Sirius subscriber growth outpaces XM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. on Thursday posted stronger second quarter subscriber additions than larger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., sending Sirius' shares up 4 percent.
Sirius, boosted by an exclusive deal with shock jock radio personality Howard Stern, said it added about 600,640 net new subscribers in the quarter, a 64 percent growth from the same period last year. It ended the quarter with 4.7 million subscribers, still short of XM's nearly 7 million subscribers.
XM said it added 398,000 net new subscribers, a 38 percent drop in net subscriber growth compared to last year's period curbed by new product availability. XM shares were flat in Nasdaq trade after falling as much as 5 percent before the market opened.
Oppenheimer and Co. analyst Thomas Eagan said Sirius' business continued to benefit from the "Howard Stern-effect," with fans of the ribald talk show host flocking to the No. 2 satellite radio service.
On the other hand, XM's growth has been hurt by a delay in shipment of its new handheld digital music players with built-in satellite receivers.
But Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett offered a more complicated answer that explained XM's volatile stock price on Thursday morning.
He said the difference in net new subscriber growth was actually an "optical illusion" due to the difference in the sheer size of the two satellite radio operators.
With churn, or the rate of losing subscribers at an industry average of about 2.5 percent, Moffett said XM would naturally lose more customers every quarter since it has a larger subscriber base.
"By virtue of its smaller size, Sirius loses fewer customers ... each quarter," he said. "As a result, its share of net additions will always be higher than its share of gross additions, at least until it 'catches up' to XM in sheer size."
To make up the difference, "XM has to grow more aggressively," Oppenheimer's Eagan said.
Moffett said the gap between the number of net new subscribers each company added was approximately equal to their difference in estimated churn for the quarter.
The two companies, which are expected to post net losses for the foreseeable future, are also hamstrung by high marketing and subscriber acquisition costs, analysts have said.
Sirius shares rose 11 cents, or 2.46 percent, to $4.59; XM shares lost 12 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $14.37 on the Nasdaq in late afternoon trading.
'All-Stars' to return on BB debut
The 'Big Brother' producers are turning up the heat. With the 'All-Stars' season debuting tonight on CBS, the brain trust behind the summer-long reality series is busy planning new and devious ways to keep the returning players on their toes.
"This is not your mama's 'Big Brother'," promises executive producer Allison Grodner. "The returning HouseGuests have played this game before and we need to be able to throw some curve balls in. I cannot tell you specifically but certainly there will be things throughout the season that will be different and will kick the game up a few notches."
Infamous for masterminding twists to the series now in its seventh season, Grodner and her cohorts Arnold Shapiro and Rich Meehan let one out of the bag early on. From June 21st to June 28th, fans had the chance to pick 6 of the 12 returning players from a list of 20 provided by CBS. The three males and females with the highest number of public votes will enter the 'Big Brother' house and start playing the game tonight. To complete the 'dirty dozen', the producers will be sending in their six picks too.
The 'Big Brother' series is no stranger to controversy and another erupted during the voting when it was discovered that some fans were using "auto voters" to flood the CBS site. According to Grodner, CBS had anticipated such monkey business and already had a process in place to discount the votes as quickly as they were coming in.
"We know how savvy our fans are. There wasn't a problem. It was actually fun to watch. We saw how many votes were being generated by these bots. Rest assured they did not count," Grodner told Jam! Showbiz. "Ultimately, there was a specific amount of votes that each IP address could send each day. You were allowed to return to the site every day and vote. To prevent the hacking and the auto voters from being able to be used, the number of votes that were allowed could not be released in order to prevent these extra votes from counting."
With former players like Danielle Reyes ('Big Brother 3' runner-up) and Will 'Dr. Evil' Kirby (winner of 'Big Brother 2') in the running, 'All-Stars' is shaping up to be possibly the most competitive and most conniving season yet. Based on the voting results, Grodner revealed that the promotional campaigns launched by the HouseGuests to secure the public vote did pay off for them.
"We have hand-picked these people, with America's help, to highlight each season in the house. So, already going into this you can say the competition is stiff. It is going to be a clash of the titans. We are excited to see the competitive nature of all 20," said Grodner.
In putting together the list of 20, the producers tried to ensure that they had a good cross section of the past 75 players. Players whom fans loved and players whom fans love to hate. Not everyone the producers contacted were willing to return to the series though, for one reason or another.
"We had people we liked that didn't come back because of life decisions. We are sad that they didn't but we understand. This is a three month commitment that everyone has to make," Grodner explained.
One such candidate that Grodner wishes they had in the fold is Nicole Nilson Schaffrich, the 'Big Brother 2' runner-up.
"I think there is one that is incredibly memorable: Nicole from season two. She did great," said Grodner. "She played hard. She came back from nothing at the beginning of the season. So, as far as All-Stars, I think she deserves to be on that list but for reasons we completely understand, she was unable to come back."
The decision to start the game with only a measly 12 players has 'Big Brother' fans scratching their heads. Some believe that there will be a twist either on the debut episode or shortly thereafter which will somehow add more HouseGuests to the equation.
Grodner is remaining tight-lipped on 12 HouseGuest scenario.
"No comment on that. Anything is possible in the 'Big Brother' house. Expect the unexpected as always. We are starting with 12 as we have been saying and we will see what happens from there."
One rumour Grodner is quick to squash right away is that the series will be reverting back to its season one roots and allowing the public to directly vote out HouseGuests much like how the UK version of the series is run.
"What I will assure you is that will not happen. Our game still remains pure to where we started in which the people in the house are responsible for evicting their own."
Responsible for re-inventing the series to make it more like 'Survivor' in the sense that the gameplay is focused on alliances, competitions and backstabbing, Grodner is looking forward to how the 'All-Stars' season progresses as much as the fans are. Monitoring the happenings in the 'Big Brother' house is not only her job but a guilty pleasure as well.
"I come back each year because this is really a lot of fun to do. We love this show. It is like summer camp," said Grodner. "We are all screaming and cheering behind the scenes. It is unlike any other production. It is a great group of people. It is also fun to keep inventing new ways to work with the HouseGuests and to make the game better."
'Big Brother: All-Stars' premieres tonight (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. Following the premiere, the series will be broadcast each week on Tuesdays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) and Sundays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The Thursday broadcast, hosted by Julie Chen, will feature the live eviction of one of the houseguests.
'Grey's Anatomy' and '24' at top of Emmy noms
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Suspense drama 24 and Grey's Anatomy, the hit medical drama that focuses as much on its interns' love lives as medicine, were among the top nominees announced Thursday for the Emmy Awards.
The leading nominee, with 16 bids, was the miniseries Into the West, which was partially filmed in Alberta.
In a major reversal from last year's awards, neither Lost or Desperate Housewives received best-series nominations. Both won last year.
A number of acting bids went to stars of shows that have left the air, including Frances Conroy and Peter Krause of Six Feet Under, Geena Davis of Commander in Chief and Martin Sheen, Allison Janney and Alan Alda of The West Wing.
24 led all series with 12 nominations, followed by Grey's Anatomy with 11. Both received best drama series bids and were joined in the category by House, The Sopranos and The West Wing.
For 24, Toronto-bred Kiefer Sutherland received a best-actor bid. Among the Grey's Anatomy stars recognized were Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh, who grew up in Nepean, Ont., and Chandra Wilson, with supporting-actress nominations. The show was shut out of the best-actress and actor categories.
The comedy-series nominees were Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Scrubs and Two and a Half Men.
The stars of Desperate Housewives, which lost its status as critical darling in its sophomore season although it held its ratings, were missing this year from the lead acting category. The stars of Lost met the same fate.
Besides Sutherland, other best-actor nominations for a drama went to Peter Krause of Six Feet Under, Denis Leary of Rescue Me, Christopher Meloni of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Martin Sheen of The West Wing.
Joining Conroy, Davis and Janney in the best drama series actress category were Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Kyra Sedgwick of The Closer.
The nominees for best actress in a comedy series were Stockard Channing of Out of Practice, Jane Kaczmarek of Malcolm in the Middle, Lisa Kudrow of The Comeback, Debra Messing for Will & Grace and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Louis-Dreyfus, along with another past Emmy winner, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) announced nominations in the top categories in a brief televised ceremony Thursday at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre.
"Honey, I got nominated. It's hilarious, it's unbelievable," Louis-Dreyfus told her husband over the phone.
"My skin feels like it's buzzing," she told The Associated Press. "Or maybe that's from all the coffee I've been drinking since 1 a.m."
Showing the flag for Desperate Housewives was series newcomer Alfre Woodard, who received a bid as best supporting actress in a comedy. Joining her were Cheryl Hines of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jaime Pressly of My Name Is Earl, Elizabeth Perkins of Weeds and Megan Mullally of Will & Grace.
Actors nominated in the supporting category in comedy were Will Arnett of Arrested Development, Jeremy Piven of Entourage, Bryan Cranston of Malcolm in the Middle, Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men and Sean Hayes of Will & Grace.
Top nominees in the movie and miniseries field, besides Into the West, included Elizabeth I, Mrs. Harris and Bleak House.
The Emmy Awards are scheduled to air Aug. 27 on NBC, with Conan O'Brien as host of the Shrine Auditorium ceremony. The awards, traditionally held in September at the start of the TV season, were moved up because of NBC's addition of Sunday-night football to its schedule.
There is a total of 94 Emmy categories.
Other Emmy honours, including those for technical achievement and guest actors and actresses in series, will be given at the creative-arts ceremony on Aug. 19.
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Nominees in major categories for the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:
Drama Series: Grey's Anatomy, ABC; House, Fox; The Sopranos, HBO; 24, Fox; The West Wing, NBC.
Comedy Series: Arrested Development, Fox; Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; The Office, NBC; Scrubs, NBC; Two and a Half Men, CBS.
Miniseries: Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Elizabeth I, HBO; Into the West, TNT; Sleeper Cell, Showtime.
Made-for-TV Movie: Flight 93, A&E; The Flight That Fought Back, Discovery Channel; The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; Mrs. Harris, HBO; Yesterday, HBO.
Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.
Variety, Music or Comedy Special: 78th Annual Academy Awards, ABC; Bill Maher: I'm Swiss, HBO; George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing, HBO; McCartney in St. Petersburg, A&E; The XX Olympic Winter Games - Opening Ceremony, NBC.
Actor, Drama Series: Denis Leary, Rescue Me, FX Network; Peter Krause, Six Feet Under, HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox; Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC.
Actress, Drama Series: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer, TNT; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief, ABC; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC; Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under, HBO; Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC.
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, Boston Legal, ABC; Oliver Platt, Huff, Showtime; Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos, HBO; Gregory Itzin, 24, Fox; Alan Alda, The West Wing, NBC.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Candice Bergen, Boston Legal, ABC; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Blythe Danner, Huff, Showtime; Jean Smart, 24, Fox.
Actor, Comedy Series: Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Kevin James, The King of Queens, CBS; Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA; Steve Carell, The Office, NBC; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men, CBS.
Actress, Comedy Series: Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback, HBO; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS; Stockard Channing, Out of Practice, CBS; Debra Messing, Will & Grace, NBC.
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Will Arnett, Arrested Development, Fox; Jeremy Piven, Entourage, HBO; Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men, CBS; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl, ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds, Showtime; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC.
Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Charles Dance, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Donald Sutherland, Human Trafficking, Lifetime; Ben Kingsley, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Jon Voight, Pope John Paul II, CBS; Andre Braugher, Thief, FX Network.
Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Kathy Bates, Ambulance Girl, Lifetime; Gillian Anderson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I, HBO; Judy Davis, A Little Thing Called Murder, Lifetime; Annette Bening, Mrs. Harris, HBO.
Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Denis Lawson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Hugh Dancy, Elizabeth I, HBO; Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I, HBO; Robert Carlyle, Human Trafficking, Lifetime; Clifton Collins Jr., Thief, FX Network.
Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Kelly Macdonald, The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; Shirley Jones, Hidden Places, Hallmark; Ellen Burstyn, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Cloris Leachman, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Alfre Woodard, The Water Is Wide (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation), CBS.