Emmy awards: dick vs. poo

Emmy award nominations were announced this morning, and the hottest race is in the "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics" category, where "Dick in a Box," the Justin Timberlake video from Saturday Night Live, is up against "Everything Comes Down to Poo," from the musical episode of Scrubs. Also nominated is "My Drunken Irish Dad," from Family Guy; "Merry X-Mas," from Mad TV; and the homoerotic "Guy Love," from Scrubs. Such pioneers of television as Rod Serling and Edward R. Morrow would surely be proud that the medium now rivals Broadway in its contribution to the Great American Songbook. As for the other nominations, all you need to know is that Elaine Stritch was nominated for her brief guest appearance as Alec Baldwin's mother on 30 Rock. Stritch is a treasure, and 30 Rock is a fine show, but there was no acting involved here; she's getting a Hooray, You're Still Alive nomination. (Though it's not quite as bad as the Ellen Burstyn fiasco from last year.) Where are the nominations for 30 Rock regular Jack McBrayer and guest Will Arnett? The geriatric (in thought, if not always in body) Emmy voters also continued their unfounded crush on David E. Kelley and all law dramas by giving a Best Drama nomination to Boston Legal. Overlooked in order to squeeze in this tired show: The Wire, Rome, Deadwood, Friday Night Lights, Lost, and The Riches.