TVSquad

The third most important story in the Entertainment section of my news page this morning is this: which stars are going to present awards at this year's Emmy Awards ceremony (September 21 on ABC). And to that I say a big ... who cares?

Every year, in the weeks leading up to the Emmys, we hear about which stars are going to present awards. I've always found it odd because the people they say are going to present are, you know, TV stars. Seriously, this is the Emmy Awards, and like the Oscars or the Grammys, I expect the people who have something to do with television (maybe the people who actually star on the shows!) to either present awards, introduce segments of the show, or even host. Yeah, it's mildly interesting that William Petersen and Laurence Fishburne will present an award together, since Fishburne is taking over for Petersen on CSI, but it's not that big of a deal. And it's certainly not a big deal that America Fererra and Vanessa Williams are going to present an award or that Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hugh Laurie are going to present awards - separately. I would assume that these current TV stars will be involved in some way, but even if they aren't, why is it news?

We'll have full coverage of the Emmy Award nominations tomorrow (Thursday) morning starting just before 8:30 Eastern Time. That's 5:30am on the West Coast, where they announce the nominations. Crazy Hollywood people getting up so early.

In the meantime, head on over to AOL and pick who you think is going to be nominated tomorrow in several categories, including Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Then come back here tomorrow morning for the live blog and see how you did.

It looks like the Emmy Awards are turning into the SATs.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has made several changes to the way Emmy nominations are chosen. For one, series and acting category nominations will be chosen by a mix of a regular vote and voting by a blue-ribbon panel of voters. Second, there's a new "Ellen Burystyn" rule. An actor can only be nominated if he or she was in at least 5% of an episode (Burstyn won a Supporting award last time, even though she was only on screen for 14 seconds). Third, public performances on TV will no longer compete in the music/variety category. They're adding a new special category where more than one performance could win an award.

Oh, and there's one more change: actors and producers will have to submit an essay of 250 words or less as to what their character/show is about and why they think they should be nominated. This wiill come in handy when Jim Belushi has to explain the complexity of his According To Jim character.

The Emmy nominations were just announced in L.A. Here are the major nominations:

Best Drama

Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

Best Comedy

Arrested Development
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office

Lead Actor, Drama

Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
Christopher Meloni, Law and Order: SVU
Martin Sheen, The West Wing
Keifer Sutherland, 24

Lead Actress, Drama

Francis Conroy, Six Feet Under
Geena Davis, Commander-in-Chief
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Allison Janney, The West Wing
Krya Sedgwick, The Closer

Lead Actor, Comedy

Steve Carell, The Office
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James, The King of Queens
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Lead Actress, Comedy

Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Debra Messing, Will and Grace
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine

Supporting Actor, Comedy

Will Arnet, Arrested Development
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will and Grace

Supporting Actress, Comedy

Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jamie Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Megan Mullally, Will and Grace

Supporting Actor, Drama

William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24
Alan Alda, The West Wing

Supporting Actress, Drama

Candice Bergan, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Blythe Daner, Huff
Jean Smart, 24

Quick thoughts: No major noms for Lost or Desperate Housewives? Good to see The West Wing noticed for a good last season. Kevin James and Stockard Channing nominated in the comedy category?

Here's the full list.

• Best Actress, Drama: Geena Davis (Commander-in-Chief)
• Best Actor, Drama: Hugh Laurie (House)
• Best Series, Musical or Comedy: Desperate Housewives
• Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)
• Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Steve Carell (The Office)
• Best Miniseries or Movie: Empire Falls
• Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: S. Epatha Merkerson (Lackawanna Blues)
• Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Elvis)
• Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
• Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Newman (Empire Falls)