TVSquad

On Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen plays a vulgar playboy, a shallow guy who's more interested in booze, women and having a good time than being responsible and working hard. The role has earned him a couple of Emmy nominations and a lot of money. A lot of money. In fact, in a new poll from TV Guide, Charlie Sheen is the highest paid actor on TV, making $825,000 per episode; in a season of 23 shows, that comes out to nearly $20 million.

That's more than he could make in the movies, and unlike films, Charlie can keep on raking it in on Two and a Half Men for years. The show is a huge hit in syndication, so more episodes will simply mean more money down the road.

Right behind Charlie on the list is fellow CBS leading man, CSI's William Petersen. He's making $600,000 an episode. He's only doing ten episodes this season, but since he's also an executive producer on the series, he's probably making even more.

With seven separate nominations in the Guest Actor and Actress categories, it's hard to believe that any 30 Rock guest stars were left off this year's list. The men nearly swept the nominees list for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, earning four of the five available spots. The ladies made up half of the Guest Actress category; not bad!

Still, a few brilliant and hilarious performances were left out. You can't argue with nominations for Will Arnett and Elaine Stritch, but I'd swap one or two of the nominees with a few of my own favorites. Check out my list of overlooked 30 Rock guest stars after the jump. And yes, I left out Jerry Seinfeld. Emmy got that one right.

Earlier today I did a first take on the Primetime Emmy nominations, sharing with you my first impressions and noting a few surprises. Now, I'm going to finish what I started. Please, share your comments and your opinions about the nominations.

Is there a new trend in the television landscape? Could be. At the TCA panel for Mad Men, creator Matt Weiner, revealed that the show is only going to run four more years.

That's right, the man has a plan. Each season of Mad Men will jump ahead approximately two years, so that when Don Draper's story comes to an end, it will be 1969. Can you imagine how radically the show will look by the end of the 1960s? With their attention to detail, it'll be amazing.

So what's the trend? It's setting an endpoint for a series. Battlestar Galactica did it, and Lost has as well. Traditionally, American television series run and run and run until the creators choose to end or the network calls it quits which usually corresponds to viewers having tuned out.

The Emmy nominations won't be announced until July 17, but we can tell you right now without a doubt that Ugly Betty's Rebecca Romijn will not be among the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy category at the Emmys. No, we're not psychic. It's just that her spokesman has confirmed that her name was never actually submitted. DOH! And why was that, you wonder. No good reason, said her rep, "It was an oversight."

According to L.A. Times' Tom O'Neil, this isn't really that far-fetched an occurrence. Tim Allen, at the height of his Home Improvement success, missed a chance for an Emmy nomination when somebody fumbled the ball. The next year, his paperwork was hand-delivered, accompanied by the University of Southern California marching band.

Romijn's omission -- on the surface -- looks like a mistake. Yes, it's true that her status on the show is going from series regular to recurring, but I don't believe she purposely kept her name out of the running to in some way act out in protest against the show. It makes no sense? How is she hurting Ugly Betty by not getting an Emmy nomination? No, this was a screw up, nothing more.

To many people, William Shatner is a beloved TV icon. To others, he's a shameless self-promoter, a commercial pitchman for everything from margarine to hotel rooms. Few feel neutral about Shatner, so this story may come as something of a surprise. William Shatner rarely watches himself on TV and film. Like a lot of actors, when he works, he's in the moment and doesn't go back and study what he did and why. It's been working for him. As Denny Crane on Boston Legal, he's won two Emmys in the last three years.

Looking at the Emmy nominations announced this morning, one word comes to mind: BORING.

Or maybe two words, if you add "safe." I mean, come on. I don't usually watch Friday Night Lights, Dexter, or Battlestar Galactica, but even I know that those shows should have been nominated for something (beyond technical and writing awards). Instead we get...Tony Shalhoub again? He's fine, but there has to be someone else who they can plug in there. Grey's Anatomy and House for Best Drama? That's not to say that the shows nominated aren't good and solid, but when you take a look at the dramas that were left out...gah.

Beyond the major nominations (Best Comedy, Best Drama, Lead Actor and Actress, etc), there are other nominations where a lot of your favorite shows actually show up. After the jump, I'll highlight several.

9:16am: Head on over to AOL for more coverage, photos, and a complete list of all the nominees.

9:15am: I learned two things doing this liveblog. One, the internet can act funny sometimes, and two, I really did need that caffeine.

9:10am: Fans of Lost, Dexter, and Friday Night Lights probably aren't happy this morning.

9:06am: Interesting that Felicity Huffman was nominated, but no one else from Desperate Housewives was, and the show was overlooked.

9:04am: Yes, I'm surprised that Studio 60 didn't at least get some nod, you know?

8:59am: Notes...24 wasn't nominated, though I guess that didn't surprise too many people.

8:48am: Best Comedy: Entourage, The Office, 30 Rock, Two and a Half Men, Ugly Betty

8:47am: Lead Actress, Comedy: America Ferrera, Tina Fey, Felicity Huffman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mary Louise Parker.

8:46am: Lead Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, Ricky Gervais, Tony Shalhoub, Charlie Sheen

8:45am: Best Reality Show: Amazing Race, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, Top Chef.

8:44am: Lead Actress, Drama: Minnie Driver, Edie Falco, Sally Field, Kyra Sedgwick, Mariska Hargitay, Patricia Arquette (six nominees this year? Interesting...)

8:43am: Lead Actor, Drama: James Gandolfini, Denis Leary, James Spader, Kiefer Sutherland, Hugh Laurie

8:42am: Best Drama: Heroes, House, Boston Legal (is this a comedy or drama?), Grey's Anatomy, The Sopranos

American Idol's executive producers, Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, will NOT be bringing their innovative or creative golden touch to the Emmys this year as previously reported. According to the TV academy, Lythgoe and Warwick have backed out of producing the Emmy telecast because of a demanding schedule.

"After we wrapped the enormous effort of Idol Gives Back, we looked at our upcoming slate of projects including the American Idol finale and the additional shows we will be involved in this summer, and realized that we could not devote the creative energy and time necessary to make the Emmys outstanding for the Television Academy and FOX," Lythgoe and Warwick said.

TV academy chairman Dick Askin stated, ''We respect Nigel and Ken's decision and are fortunate that Ken Ehrlich has agreed to return.'' Ken Ehrlich is a veteran producer of several Emmy and Grammy telecasts.

The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards will be televised live September 16 on FOX from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Emmy nominations will be announced July 19.