Elizabeth Shestak had a nice "Life Stories" article today about the life and death of Paul Bogart, an Emmy-winning director who had lived in Chapel Hill for the past 17 years.

The Harlem-born Bogart (IMDB page) directed episodes of "All in the Family," "The Defenders," "Get Smart," "Golden Girls," "CBS Playhouse," and many other TV shows and TV movies.

Bogart died in April in Chapel Hill at the age of 92, with his son Peter by his side. Read the full story of how Bogart made his way from Hollywood to Chapel Hill.

UNC School of the Arts alum Zach Seivers (Class of 2006) won an Emmy for Outstanding Sound and Editing for Nonfiction Programming at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmy ceremony. Seivers won for his work on "Gettysburg," which aired on The History Channel.

Seivers is originally from Mount Airy and this was his first Emmy nomination. Seivers was the sound designer on "Gettysburg" and shared the award with sound editors Charles Maynes, who was a guest artist in the School of Filmmaking in 2006, and Brent Kiser.

Seivers is the chief operating officer of SNAPSOUND, a post-production sound company in Los Angeles.

The Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and the big news? "Friday Night Lights" finally got some much-deserved recognition. It's about time, Emmy!

The big nominees this season were "Lost" (predictably), "Glee," "Mad Men," and "The Pacific." Glaring omissions? No nod for "Big Bang Theory," but "The Office" gets a nomination during its worst season ever?? And "Survivor" is left out of the Reality Show category after one of its strongest seasons. Instead, "The Amazing Race" and "Project Runway," who had unusually weak seasons, both got nods. And while I hate to look a "Friday Night Lights" gift horse in the mouth, would it have killed Emmy to recognize Zach Gilford?

We're also bothered by "Glee" and "Nurse Jackie" being in the comedy category, since both shows more often play like dramas with occasional moments of levity. Plus, totally not fair for a full-hour show like "Glee" to be included with traditional half-hour sitcoms. I'm old school about my sitcom categories.

Below is the breakdown of major categories, with my personal pick noted in parentheses. Adrienne may chime in later. Tell us what you think in the comments section below!

I get so excited for the Emmy show every fall, and never understand why ratings are so low. This year, Neil Patrick Harris is the host, so my hopes are even higher than usual (he may sing!). And Justin Timberlake is presenting (duet?!). So I expect the show to be funny, the speeches to be captivating, and my favorites to win. (We'll see how that works out for me...)

Without re-reading the predictions we made in July when the nominees were first announced, I'm going to make my picks and wish/rant/threaten a little here (watch your back, Charlie Sheen).

61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (8pm, CBS) - Tonight's big show is hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. "30 Rock" leads with 22 nominations and "Mad Men" follows with 16. I've already picked my favorites. Have you?

Drop Dead Diva (9pm, Lifetime) - Jane meddles in a judge's love life and ends up suing a matchmaking service. Kim and Grayson work with psychic sisters who have a dispute about the family business. Guest stars are Liza Minelli, Delta Burke, and Rosie O'Donnell. 

Curb Your Enthusiasm (9pm, HBO) - Larry David is back for his 7th season, and he's really itching to ditch the Black family (they keep the house too warm), except Loretta (Vivica A. Fox) may have cancer. What's a guy to do...

Bored to Death (9:30pm, HBO) - A funny new comedy series starring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, and Zach Galifianakis. Schwartzman plays a writer who decides on a whim to try his hand as an unlicensed private detective.  

Mad Men (10pm, AMC) - The summary from AMC says that a surprise visitor shows up at Sterling Cooper, that Sally gets "spooked" by something or someone, and that Joan gets some surprising news. Hmmm. Word on the street is that something really shocking indeed happens, and that we don't want to save this on the DVR for later. If you're watching the Emmys and can't DVR, "Mad Men" repeats on AMC at 11pm. Also, don't forget that Monday, Oprah will devote her entire show (4pm, WTVD) to "Mad Men."

We all know by now that the incomparable Neil Patrick Harris was (finally) officially named as the host for 61st annual Emmy Awards Show, but even more interesting is that Bravo reality star (and actual Emmy winner) Kathy Griffin is now slated to host the somewhat less prestigious Schmemmy Awards.

Griffin will host the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 12, a show she has often called as "The Schmemmys." The Schmemmys take place a week before the "real" Emmys, and are not aired live (an edited version of the show will air later in September on E!). Griffin has a controversial history with Emmy broadcasts, so that makes this an interesting, and potentially exciting, choice.