The low-rated shows "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" shared
the spotlight at the Emmy Awards for a second year
on Sunday, but most of their stars were snubbed asthe acting awards went to repeat winners
or surprise choices.
Tina Fey, the creator and star of NBC's "30 Rock,"
failed to defend her best comic actress title.
She lost to Australia's Toni Collette, who plays
a woman with multiple personalities in Showtime's
"United States of Tara."
Fey's co-star, Alec Baldwin, was the only one of
13 nominees from either "30 Rock" or "Mad Men"
to win an acting prize, in his case for playing
a bumbling network TV boss.
Still, "30 Rock" was named best comedy for a third
year, and "Mad Men" best drama for a second.
Both prizes were announced at the end of the
three-hour ceremony.
"Phew! That was a nail-biter," said Fey, accepting
the big prize for "30 Rock," which won just five
of the leading 22 Emmys for which the cult
favorite had been nominated.
"Mad Men," whose audience is about 2 million on
the niche cable channel AMC, won just three of
the 16 Emmys for which it had been nominated.
Last year, the period saga made history by
becoming the first series from a cable network
other than HBO to win the Emmy for best drama.
"I may be the only person in the room with complete
creative freedom. That's why the show is so good,
" said "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner,
who shared the Emmy with Kater Gordon
for best drama writing.