The Emmy nominations were announced just a short while ago and now we can finally speculate on who might be going away with the TV gongs come September 16th. The Sopranos has predictably scored well with 15 nominations, as many critics had expected a fond and sentimental farewell to the mob drama. These nominations include best drama and best actor and actress, but the most nominated programme is the made-for-TV movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee with an impressive 17 nods.

In the drama category, The Sopranos will face off against Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, House and Heroes. There was no room for last year’s winner 24, though no surprises there as the last season was officially rubbish. For more Emmy nominations, read on.

Heroes wasn’t the only lucky newbie on the block with Ugly Betty up for best comedy. It’ll have its work cut out going against Entourage, 30 Rock, Two and a Half Men and last year’s winner The Office.

James Gandolfini will be the one to beat in the Lead Drama Series Actor category. But will face stiff competition from Hugh Laurie of House, Denis Leary of Rescue Me and James Spader of Boston Legal. Last year’s winner Kiefer Sutherland has been given what must be a pity vote for his pastiche of 24’s Jack Bauer.

Mrs. Soprano is also in the running, with Edie Falco competing in the Lead Drama Series Actress category against Patricia Arquette of Medium, Minnie Driver of The Riches, Sally Field of Brothers & Sisters, Kyra Sedgwick of The Closer and last year’s winner, Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The Emmys have the quite fantastic collection of categories reqarding ensemble work of (why don’t they an ensemble category at the Oscars?) For Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series it will be between Desperate Housewives, Entourage, 30 Rock (when is this going to come to the UK? Channel 4 – get on it!), Ugly Betty and Weeds.

The drama equivalent is less involving for UK audiences, as we have yet to see 2 of the shows. New Channel 4 show Brothers & Sisters goes against Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip and The Tudors.

I am very biased with the next category, even though I have only seen one of the programmes. Technically that is very wrong of me, but when the show in question is the BBC/WGBH Boston co-production of Jane Eyre, I just don’t care. I loved the adaptation and will fight it’s corner against all challengers in the Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special category. These losers include Broken Trail, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, The Path To 9/11, The Ron Clark Story and The Starter.

For those interested in a little behind the camera action Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are nominated for the directing of the Orlando Bloom Extras episode and for the writing of the Daniel Radcliffe one.Other Brit interests in the various directing categories include Susanna White for her sterling work on Jane Eyre, Philip Martin for Prime Suspect: The Final Act and Bharat Nalluri for the BBC/HBO produced Tsunami, The Aftermath. Jane Eyre and Prime Suspect are also nominated for their writing, with other quite obscurely categorised Brit affiliated nods including Planet Earth, Longford and Rome.

In the outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, I find I come over all flag-waving and nauseatingly patriotic and all because of Ricky Gervais. He’s up for it against Tony Shalhoub for Monk, Steve Carell for The Office, Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock and Charlie Sheen for Two and a Half Men.

America sure loves its mini-series stuff, and so for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (that’s a mouthful), I’ll be cheering on Jim Broadbent for Longford. He’ll be against Robert Duvall for Broken Trail, Tom Selleck for Jesse Stone: Sea Change, William H. Macy in Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen and Chandler, sorry Matthew Perry for The Ron Clark Story.

And so to those funny ladies, otherwise known as Outstanding Lead Actresses in a Comedy Series. I’m torn on this one, as I love both Felicity Huffman in Desperate Housewives and newcomer America Ferrara in Ugly Betty. I think as she’s new to all this, I’ll root for America but she’ll also have to fight off Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Tiny Fey for 30 Rock and Mary-Louise Parker for Weeds.

Mary-Louise Parker is doing double-duty as she is also nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie category for her role in The Robber Bride. She’ll be fighting it out against Oscar darling Helen Mirren in her last turn as Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect: The Final Act, Queen Latifah for Life Support, Debra Messing for The Starter Wife and Gena Rowlands for What If God Were The Sun?

I always consider the nominations in the ‘supporting’ categories odd. Sometimes those nominated have barely any screen time and at other times are a huge part in an ensemble show. In the ring to fight it out for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series we have both Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven from Entourage, Neil Patrick Harris (go Dougie Howser!) for How I Met Your Mother, Rainn Wilson for the Office and Jon Cryer for the sappy Two and a Half Men.

Those going all serious in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series group include the former Captain Kirk, William Shatner for Boston Legal, T. R .Knight for Grey’s Anatomy (v. interesting considering nemesis Isaiah Washington had ruled himself out of the running by not applying), Masi Oka for Heroes, Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson for Lost and hot favourite Michael Imperioli for The Sopranos.

In the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie category it’s between Thomas Haden Church (wasted in the Spiderman movie) for Broken Trail, August Schellenberg and Aidan Quinn both for Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, Edward Asner for The Christmas Card and Joe Montegna for The Starter Wife.

Back to the ladies and it’ll be between new mum Jaime Pressly for My Name is Earl, Jenna Fischer for The Office, Holland Taylor and Conchato Ferrell for Two and a Half Men, Vanessa Williams for Ugly Betty (my favourite) and Elizabeth Perkins for Weeds for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series prize.

For the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award, we have Rachel Griffiths for Brothers & Sisters, Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh and Katherine Heigl (yeay!) all for Grey’s Anatomy and The Sopranos stars Aida Turturro and Lorraine Bracco.

In the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, the award will be presented to one of the following talented ladies: Greta Scacchi for Broken Trail, Anna Paquin for Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, Judy Davis for The Starter Wife and (I’m a bit torn here as to who I would like to win, but it’s between) Samantha Morton for Longford or Toni Collette for Tsunami, The Aftermath.

The Emmys have what I consider to be quite an odd further category for actors. These are the guest roles, allowing lazy actors who only ruck up for a few days work to nab an Emmy – bizarre. However, they include some serious talent so I shouldn’t sniff. For Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series there is Martin Landau for Entourage, Stanley Tucci for Monk, Giovanni Ribisi and Beau Bridges for My Name is Earl and Gandalf himself, Sir Ian McKellen for his great turn in Extras.

Moving from smiles to frowns, and in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series we have Christian Clemenson (soon to join permanently) for Boston Legal, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker for ER, David Morse (come on my son!) for House, Tim Daly for The Sopranos and John Goodman and Eli Wallach for Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip.

In the category for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, we have Dixie Carter and Laurie Metcalf for Desperate Housewives, Elaine Stritch for 30 Rock, and Salma Hayek and Judith Light for Ugly Betty.

For drama there is Kate Burton and Elizabeth Reaser for Grey’s Anatomy, Marcia Gay Harden and Leslie Carron for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Jean Smart for 24 (?)

And that’s about it for the more exciting categories. Of course, if you just have to know about best prosthetics and best hairdressing, mosey on over to the Emmys website.