The 59th Annual Emmy nominations have been announced and boy am I pissed. The overrated Heroes stole a spot from the superior dramas like Friday Night Lights and Dexter, and Two and a Half Men somehow managed to yet again get a nod even though it’s one of the worst comedies on television.

The brilliant Michael C. Hall was snubbed as well, which I will be bitter about until next July, and Weeds was snubbed of a very well deserved nomination for Best Comedy Series to make room for the just okay Entourage and the embarrassing Two and a Half Men.

There are some things I’m very happy about, though. America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams got respective nods in the Lead Actress and Supporting Actress categories and I so hope they both win. Also, finally Kevin Dillon was given a nod for his comic portrayal of Johnny Drama on HBO’s Entourage. Sally Field received a nod for her powerful and poignant performance on Brothers and Sisters this year, and my favorite Grey’s Anatomy actress Katherine Heigl finally got her nomination for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Kudos to Felicity Huffman for being the only actress from Desperate Housewives nominated this year–she gave a fantastic performance in that heart-racing episode called “Bang”, but honestly I’m hoping it finally goes to my girl Mary-Louise Parker who, though she already has an Emmy from Angels In America, has deserved another one for Weeds since day one.

Congrats to all!

Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal
Grey’s Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos

Outstanding Comedy Series
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty

Outstanding Reality Series
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Night With Conan O’Brien
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette (Medium)
Minnie Driver (The Riches)
Edie Falco (The Sopranos)
Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini (The Sopranos)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Denis Leary (Rescue Me)
James Spader (Boston Legal)
Kiefer Sutherland (24)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters)
Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy)
Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy)
Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy)
Aida Turturro (The Sopranos)
Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner (Boston Legal)
Masi Oka (Heroes)
T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy)
Michael Emerson (Lost)
Terry O’Quinn (Lost)
Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos)

Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Ricky Gervais (Extras)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk)
Steve Carell (The Office)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)

Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives)
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (New Adventures of Old Christine)
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)

Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon (Entourage)
Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
Rainn Wilson (The Office)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)

Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl)
Jenna Fischer (The Office)
Conchata Ferrell (Two and a Half Men)
Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men)
Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty)
Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds)

See the rest of the nominations here

The 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced this morning by previous SAG Award winners Sandra Oh and Elijah Wood. There were a few surprises that snuck in as well as some major snubs.

The Brad Pitt/Cate Blanchett film Babel garnered the most nominations out of all the motion pictures, with three nods–one being for Best Ensemble.

HBO drama The Sopranos dominated the television categories with three nominations, more than any other series–including a Best Ensemble nod, as well as nods for both lead actors, Edie Falco and James Gandolfini.

There was a tie in the Female Actor In A Comedy Series category, so there are 6 nominees there instead of the normal five.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio / BLOOD DIAMOND – Archer - Warner Bros. Pictures
Ryan Gosling / HALF NELSON – Dan Dunne - THINKFilm
Peter O’Toole / VENUS – Maurice - Miramax Films
Will Smith / THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS – Chris Gardner - Sony Pictures
Forest Whitaker / THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND – Idi Amin - Fox Searchlight Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Penelope Cruz / VOLVER – Raimunda - Sony Pictures Classics
Judi Dench / NOTES ON A SCANDAL – Barbara Covett - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Helen Mirren / THE QUEEN – The Queen - Miramax Films.
Meryl Streep / THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – Miranda Priestly - 20th Century Fox
Kate Winslet / LITTLE CHILDREN – Sarah Pierce - New Line Cinema

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin / LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE – Grandpa Fox Searchlight Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio / THE DEPARTED – Billy Warner Bros. Pictures
Jackie Earle Haley / LITTLE CHILDREN – Ronnie J. McGorvey New Line Cinema
Djimon Hounsou / BLOOD DIAMOND – Solomon Warner Bros. Pictures
Eddie Murphy / DREAMGIRLS – James “Thunder” Early Paramount Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Adriana Barraza / BABEL – Amelia - Paramount Vantage
Cate Blanchett / NOTES ON A SCANDAL – Sheba Hart - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Abigail Breslin / LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE – Olive - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Jennifer Hudson / DREAMGIRLS – Effie White - Paramount Pictures
Rinko Kikuchi / BABEL – Chieko - Paramount Vantage

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
BABEL - Paramount Vantage
Adriana Barraza - Amelia
Cate Blanchett - Susan
Gael García Bernal - Santiago
Rinko Kikuchi - Chieko
Brad Pitt - Richard
Kôji Yakusho - Yasujiro

BOBBY - The Weinstein Company
Harry Belafonte - Nelson
Joy Bryant - Patricia
Nick Cannon - Dwayne
Emilio Estevez - Tim Fallon
Laurence Fishburne - Edward Robinson
Brian Geraghty - Cooper
Heather Graham - Angela
Anthony Hopkins - John Casey
Helen Hunt - Samantha
Joshua Jackson - Wade
David Krumholtz - Phil
Ashton Kutcher - Fisher
Shia LaBoeuf - Jimmy
Lindsay Lohan - Diane
William H. Macy - Paul
Svetlana Metkina - Lenka Janacek
Demi Moore - Virginia Fallon
Freddy Rodriguez - José
Martin Sheen - Jack
Christian Slater - Timmons
Sharon Stone - Miriam
Jacob Vargas - Miguel
Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Susan Taylor
Elijah Wood - William

THE DEPARTED - Warner Bros. Pictures
Anthony Anderson - Brown
Alec Baldwin - Ellerby
Matt Damon - Colin
Leonardo DiCaprio - Billy
Vera Farmiga - Madolyn
Jack Nicholson - Costello
Martin Sheen - Queenan
Mark Wahlberg - Dignam
Ray Winstone - Mr. French

DREAMGIRLS - Paramount Pictures
Jamie Foxx - Curtis Taylor, Jr.
Danny Glover - Marty Madison
Jennifer Hudson - Effie White
Beyoncé Knowles - Deena Jones
Eddie Murphy - James “Thunder” Early
Keith Robinson - C.C. White
Anika Noni Rose - Lorrell Robinson

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Alan Arkin - Grandpa
Abigail Breslin - Olive
Steve Carell - Frank
Toni Collette - Sheryl
Paul Dano - Dwayne
Greg Kinnear - Richard

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Thomas Haden Church / BROKEN TRAIL – Tom Harte - AMC
Robert Duvall / BROKEN TRAIL – Print Ritter - AMC
Jeremy Irons / ELIZABETH I – Earl of Leicester - HBO
William H. Macy / NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES – Clyde Umney - TNT
Matthew Perry / THE RON CLARK STORY – Ron Clark - TNT

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Annette Bening / MRS. HARRIS – Jean Harris - HBO
Shirley Jones / HIDDEN PLACES – Aunt Batty - Hallmark Channel
Cloris Leachman / MRS. HARRIS – Tarnower’s Sister - HBO
Helen Mirren / ELIZABETH I – Elizabeth I - HBO
Greta Scacchi / BROKEN TRAIL – Nola Johns - AMC

O utstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini / THE SOPRANOS – Tony Soprano - HBO
Michael C. Hall / DEXTER – Dexter Morgan - Showtime
Hugh Laurie / HOUSE – Dr. Gregory House - FOX
James Spader / BOSTON LEGAL – Alan Shore - ABC
Kiefer Sutherland / 24 – Jack Bauer - FOX

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette / MEDIUM – Allison Dubois - NBC
Edie Falco / THE SOPRANOS – Carmela Soprano - HBO
Mariska Hargitay / LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT – Det. Olivia Benson - NBC
Kyra Sedgwick / THE CLOSER – Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson - TNT
Chandra Wilson / GREY’S ANATOMY – Dr. Miranda Bailey - ABC

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin / 30 ROCK – Jack Donaghy - NBC
Steve Carell / THE OFFICE – Michael Scott - NBC
Jason Lee / MY NAME IS EARL – Earl Hicke - NBC
Jeremy Piven / ENTOURAGE – Ari Gold - HBO
Tony Shalhoub / MONK – Adrian Monk - USA

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera / UGLY BETTY – Betty Suarez - ABC
Felicity Huffman / DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES – Lynette - ABC
Julia Louis-Dreyfus / THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE – Christine Campbell - CBS
Megan Mullally / WILL & GRACE – Karen Walker - NBC
Mary-Louise Parker / WEEDS – Nancy Botwin - Showtime
Jaime Pressly / MY NAME IS EARL – Joy - NBC

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
24 - FOX
Jayne Atkinson - Karen Hayes
Jude Ciccolella - Mike Novic
Roger Cross - Curtis Manning
Gregory Itzin - Charles Logan
Louis Lombardi - Edgar Stiles
James Morrison - Bill Buchanan
Glenn Morshower - Aaron Pierce
Mary Lynn Rajskub - Chloe O’Brian
Kim Raver - Audrey Raines
Jean Smart - Martha Logan
Kiefer Sutherland - Jack Bauer

BOSTON LEGAL - ABC
Rene Auberjonois - Paul Lewiston
Candice Bergen - Shirley Schmidt
Craig Bierko - Jeffrey Coho
Julie Bowen - Denise Bauer
William Shatner - Denny Crane
James Spader - Alan Shore
Mark Valley - Brad Chase

DEADWOOD - HBO
Jim Beaver - Ellsworth
Powers Boothe - Cy Tolliver
Sean Bridgers - Johnny Burns
W. Earl Brown - Dan Dority
Dayton Callie - Charlie Utter
Brian Cox - Jack Langrishe
Kim Dickens - Joanie Stubbs
Brad Dourif - Doc Cochran
Anna Gunn - Martha Bullock
John Hawkes - Sol Starr
Jeffrey Jones - A.W. Merrick
Paula Malcomson - Trixie
Gerald McRaney - George Hearst
Ian McShane - Al Swearengen
Timothy Olyphant - Seth Bullock
Molly Parker - Alma Garret
Leon Rippy - Tom Nuttall
William Sanderson - E.B. Farnum
Brent Sexton - Harry Young
Bree Seanna - WallSofia Metz
Robin Weigert - Calamity Jane
Titus Welliver - Silas Adam

GREY’S ANATOMY - ABC
Justin Chambers - Alex Karev
Eric Dane - Mark Sloan
Patrick Dempsey - Derek Shepherd
Katherine Heigl - Isobel “Izzie” Stevens
T.R. Knight - George O’Malley
Sandra Oh - Cristina Yang
James Pickens, Jr. - Richard Webber
Ellen Pompeo - Meredith Grey
Sara Ramirez - Callie Torres
Kate Walsh - Addison Montgomery Shepherd
Isaiah Washington - Preston Burke
Chandra Wilson - Miranda Bailey

THE SOPRANOS - HBO
Sharon Angela - Rosalie Aprile
Lorraine Bracco - Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Max Casella - Benny Fazio
Dominic Chianese - Corrado “Junior” Soprano
Edie Falco Carmela - Soprano
James Gandolfini - Tony Soprano
Joseph R. Gannascoli - Vito Spatafore
Dan Grimaldi - Patsy Parisi
Robert Iler - Anthony Soprano, Jr.
Michael Imperioli - Christopher Moltisanti
Steven R. Schirripa - Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri
Jamie Lynn Sigler - Meadow Soprano
Tony Sirico - Paulie “Walnuts” Gaultieri
Aida Turturro - Janice Soprano-Baccalieri
Steven Van Zandt - Silvio Dante
Frank Vincent - Phil Leotardo

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - ABC
Andrea Bowen - Julie Mayer
Mehcad Brooks - Matthew Applewhite
Ricardo Antonio Chavira - Carlos Solis
Marcia Cross - Bree Hodge
James Denton - Mike Delfino
Teri Hatcher - Susan Mayer
Josh Henderson - Austin McCann
Zane Huett - Parker Scavo
Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo
Kathryn Joosten - Mrs. McCluskey
Nashawn Kearse - Caleb Applewhite
Brent Kinsman - Preston Scavo
Shane Kinsman - Porter Scavo
Joy Lauren - Danielle Van De Kamp
Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis
Kyle MacLachlan - Orson Hodge
Laurie Metcalf - Carolyn Bigsby
Shawn Pyfrom - Andrew Van De Kamp
Doug Savant - Tom Scavo
Dougray Scott - Ian Hainsworth
Nicollette Sheridan - Edie Britt
Brenda Strong - Mary Alice Young
Kiersten Warren - Nora
Alfre Woodard - Betty Applewhite

ENTOURAGE - HBO
Kevin Connolly - Eric Murphy
Kevin Dillon - Drama
Jerry Ferrara - Turtle
Adrian Grenier - Vincent Chase
Rex Lee - Lloyd
Debi Mazar - Shauna
Jeremy Piven- Ari Gold
Perrey Reeves - Mrs. Ari

THE OFFICE - NBC
Leslie David Baker - Stanley Hudson
Brian Baumgartner - Kevin Malone
Steve Carell - Michael Scott
David Denman - Roy Anderson
Jenna Fischer - Pam Beesly
Kate Flannery - Meredith Palmer
Melora Hardin - Jan Levinson
Mindy Kaling - Kelly Kapoor
Angela Kinsey - Angela Martin
John Krasinski - Jim Malpert
Paul Lieberstein - Toby Flenderson
B.J. Novak - Ryan Howard
Oscar Nunez - Oscar Martinez
Phyllis Smith - Phyllis Lapin
Rainn Wilson - Dwight Schrute

UGLY BETTY - ABC
Alan Dale - Bradford Meade
America Ferrera - Betty Suarez
Mark Indelicato - Justin
Ashley Jensen - Christina
Eric Mabius - Daniel Meade
Becki Newton - Amanda
Ana Ortiz - Hilda
Tony Plana - Ignacio
Kevin Sussman - Walter
Michael Urie - Marc
Vanessa Williams - Wilhelmina Slater

WEEDS - SHOWTIME
Martin Donovan - Peter Scottson
Alexander Gould - Shane Botwin
Justin Kirk - Andy Botwin
Romany Malco - Conrad Shepard
Kevin Nealon - Doug Wilson
Mary-Louise Parker - Nancy Botwin
Hunter Parrish - Silas Botwin
Tonye Patano - Heylia Jones
Elizabeth Perkins- Celia Hodes

Screen Actors Guild Awards 43rd Annual Life Achievement Award
Julie Andrews

I’m extremely disappointed that yet again, Marcia Cross has been snubbed, but at the same time–the series has not really focused on her character this year, and seeing as how there was a tie in that category, it seems it was particularly competitive.

Also snubbed this year, is Golden Globe nominee Sacha Baron Cohen, who was hilarious in Borat. It may be that because the voting pool here is nothing but actors, that they simply just didn’t take him seriously enough. I mean, just look at the Male Actor In A Leading Role category. There are NO comedic performances.

Woohoo! I’m so happy today because my Desperate Housewives ladies Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman nabbed Golden Globe nominations! The show itself also got a nomination for Best Comedy Series.

But something interesting about this year’s nominations is…they nominated three people multiple times. Clint Eastwood got two Best Director nominations, Helen Mirren got two nominations for Best Actress in a Mini-Series as well as a Best Actress in a Drama nomination, and Leonardo DiCaprio received two nominations for Best Actor–one for Blood Diamond and one for The Departed.

It seems REALLY stupid to me, because obviously the person cannot win for both. It’s a waste of a nomination, especially when there are other deserving candidates who could be nominated. Luckily, there’s rules against this at the Oscars.

Some other nominations that made me happy:

Jeremy Piven - Entourage
Toni Collette - Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Patricia Arquette- Medium
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Katherine Heigl - Grey’s Anatomy
Ugly Betty
Thank You For Smoking

Snubs:

Vanessa Williams - Ugly Betty
Mariska Hargitay - Law & Order: SVU
Bill Condon - Dreamgirls (Best Director)
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson (One of Leo’s noms would have gone to him)

You can view the entire list of nominees here.

Here are the 58th Annual Emmy Award nominations. There’ s a puking party in my backyard later this afternoon.

Lead Actress Drama

Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under)
Geena Davis (Commander In Chief)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU)
Allison Janney (The West Wing)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Supporting Actress Drama

Candice Bergen (Boston Legal)
Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy)
Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy)
Blythe Danner (Huff)
Jean Smart (24)

Lead Actor Drama

Peter Krause (Six Feet Under)
Denis Leary (Rescue Me)
Chris Meloni (Law & Order: SVU)
Martin Sheen (The West Wing)
Keifer Sutherland (24)

Supporting Actor Drama

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

Guest Actor Drama

Michael J. Fox (Boston Legal)
Christian Clemenson (Boston Legal)
James Woods (ER)
Kyle Chandler (Grey’s Anatomy)
Henry Ian Cusick (Lost)

Guest Actress Drama

Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy)
Christina Ricci (Grey’s Anatomy)
Swoozie Kurtz (Huff)
Patricia Clarkson (Six Feet Under)
Joanna Cassidy (Six Feet Under)

Best Drama Series

Grey’s Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

Reality TV

The Amazing Race
American Idol
Project Runway
Dancing with the Stars
Survivor

Lead Actor Comedy

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

Lead Actress Comedy

Stockard Channing (Out of Practice)
Jane Kazcmarek(Malcolm in the Middle)
Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback)
Debra Messing (Will & Grace)
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (The New Adventures of Old Christine)

Supporting Actor Comedy

Will Arnett (Arrested Development)
Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm In The Middle)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)

Supporting Actress Comedy

Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives)
Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Megan Mullally (Will & Grace)
Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl)
Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds)

Guest Actor Comedy

Patrick Stewart (Extras)
Ben Stiller (Extras)
Martin Sheen (Two and a Half Men)
Alec Baldwin (Will & Grace)
Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace)

Guest Actress Comedy

Shirley Knight (Desperate Housewives)
Kate Winslet (Extras)
Chloris Leachman (Malcolm In The Middle)
Laurie Metcalfe (Monk)
Blythe Danner (Will & Grace)

Best Comedy

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

I cannot even begin to describe the horror I’m experiencing at the moment. First of all, Lauren Graham and Kristen Bell were not nominated. Second, Will & Grace, a series that went down the toilet a while ago and has been there ever since–somehow leads the comedies with 10 nominations.

None of the Desperate Housewives were nominated except the just okay Alfre Woodard (whose storyline ruined season 2 by the way) including the very worthy Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria. Jason Lee did not get nominated for breakout comedy hit “My Name Is Earl“, nor did the series get a nod. Where is Golden Globe winner Mary Louise Parker? I’m disgusted. Where’s last year’s winner Patricia Arquette?

Michael C. Hall did not get nominated for Six Feet Under, though I’m willing to forgive that since his co-star Peter Krause did. There is some good news however. House, Grey’s Anatomy, Frances Conroy, and Kyra Sedgwick did all get nominated. Not to mention–finally after years of snubs, Law & Order: SVU’s Chris Meloni garnered a well-deserved nomination.

Steve Carell is looking at a big raise when he returns to “The Office” in the fall.

Sources said the per-episode fee for “The Office” star will more than double next season to the neighborhood of $175,000.

He also is said to be looking at a flexible filming schedule with two hiatuses to accommodate his burgeoning feature career.

The renegotiated terms of Carell’s deal do not include extending the duration of his original contract, sources said.

NBC and the show’s producers declined comment Wednesday, as did Carell’s representatives.

Carell has seen his star rise in the past year, with his first starring feature, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” becoming one of the biggest hits of the summer, and “The Office” taking off in the ratings last season.

In January, Carell won a Golden Globe for his role as socially inept boss Michael Scott on the show.

NBC already has been accommodating to Carell’s growing film commitments. The deal for the show’s final nine episodes last season was done in a way that allowed the actor to begin shooting the Universal feature “Evan Almighty” this spring, when most series are still in production, while also fulfilling his obligations to the NBC comedy. (NBC and Universal are both owned by NBC Universal.)

Upon wrapping “Evan,” Carell is set to segue to another feature, the Walt Disney Co.’s “Dan in Real Life.” He has at least four other films in different stages of development.

NBC’s schedule for next season is getting pretty crowded.

The network has renewed three more of its dramas — “Medium,” “Las Vegas” and “Crossing Jordan” — for 2006-07. They join the three “Law & Order” shows and comedies “My Name Is Earl” and “The Office” in earning pickups for next year.

NBC also has a sixth edition of “The Apprentice,” the likely return of game show “Deal or No Deal” and a new Sunday-night NFL package in line for fall. Additionally, drama pilots “The Black Donnellys” and “Kidnapped” have already been given spots on the schedule, and the Aaron Sorkin backstage drama “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” is all but certain to join them.

That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for other new shows looking to make the cut this pilot season. “Crossing Jordan” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” which air on Sundays, could possibly be held until after the NFL season ends in January.

It also signals that NBC will emphasize stability to advertisers when it pitches its 2006-07 schedule to advertisers at next month’s upfronts. Given the network’s ratings struggles of late, that may or may not be a good thing.

“Medium,” which stars Emmy winner Patricia Arquette, is drawing about 11.2 million viewers per week this season. “Crossing Jordan” and “Las Vegas” both draw about 11 million viewers, with the latter having survived a move to Fridays without taking too big a ratings hit.

“Gilmore Girls” star Lauren Graham has been cast as the female lead, opposite Steve Carell, in Universal’s “Evan Almighty“, director Tom Shadyac’s sequel to “Bruce Almighty“.

The film, shooting for which is just under way, has also added John Goodman to the cast. Graham will play Carell’s wife, Goodman a congressman who mentors Carell’s character. Morgan Freeman also reprises his role as God in the movie.

The script by Steve Oedekerk and Shadyac centers on Carell’s Evan Baxter anchorman character, who babbled on air in the original “Bruce.” Evan has become a politician in the sequel and ends up getting an audience with God, who instructs him to build an ark to prepare for a massive flood.