Linney, Chenoweth, McDonald, Nixon & More Among 2008 Emmy Nominees

Nominees for the 60th prime-time Emmy Awards were announced on July 17, and as usual, the list includes a number of actors with a theatrical background. The awards will be presented on September 21 in a live telecast on ABC.

Multiple nominations for HBO's John Adams miniseries included the leading performances of Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as John and Abigail Adams, David Morse as George Washington and Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson. For another HBO series, In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest received nominations for their performances as psychiatrists Wiest's competition includes stage vetss Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh for Grey's Anatomy. Kevin Spacey was nominated for his lead role as Ron Klain in the HBO movie Recount.

The ABC telecast of A Raisin in the Sun, which featured most of the 2004 Broadway cast, earned acting nominations for Phylicia Rashad as Lena Younger and Audra McDonald as Ruth. Both actresses received Tony Awards for their performances.

Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth drew a supporting nomination for Pushing Daisies, as did Michael Emerson for Lost and Neil Patrick Harris for How I Met Your Mother. NBC's 30 Rock, filmed in New York, received multiple Emmy nods, including Alec Baldwin's lead performance as Jack Donaghy and guest-star turns from Edie Falco and Elaine Stritch. Tony winner Cynthia Nixon and Polly Bergen also received guest star nominations for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Desperate Housewives, respectively.

Over on Showtime, Mary-Louise Parker and Michael C. Hall were nominated for their lead performances in Weeds and Dexter, respectively. The FX legal drama Damages drew nominations for lead actress Glenn Close and supporting actor Zeljko Ivanek. Close's competition includes stage vets Sally Field for Brothers & Sisters, Holly Hunter for Saving Grace and Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer, along with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay.

British stage stars who received Emmy nods included Dame Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins for the Masterpiece Theatre production of Cranford and Ralph Fiennes for playing butler Bernard Lafferty in HBO's Bernard and Doris.

The 61st Annual Tony Awards was nominated in the category of Awards Programs, and director Lonny Price was cited for his work on the TV adapation of the Broadway musical Company.