Hbo - Mad Men & Mildred Pierce Lead 2011 Primetime Emmy Nominations

Mad Men star Jon Hamm will go up against the likes of Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Hugh Laurie (House) and Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, while his co-star Elisabeth Moss will battle for the lead actress prize against Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Kathy Bates (Harry's Law).

The Outstanding Drama Series category will be a closely-fought affair - Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife and Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire are all in the running, while Outstanding Comedy Series nods go to 30 Rock, Glee, Modern Family, The Office, The Big Bang Theory and Parks and Recreation.

The most nominated show was Mildred Pierce - the HBO miniseries starring Kate Winslet earned a total of 21 nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie and recognition for the Titanic beauty for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries.

30 Rock's Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, Nurse Jackie's Edie Falco, and The Office's Steve Carell are also set to compete for top acting awards.

The nominees were announced live from Hollywood on Thursday morning (14Jul11) by Joshua Jackson and Melissa MCCarthy, who found herself lost for words after hearing her name announced as a contender for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Mike & Molly.

She exclaimed, "Oh my god, yikes!"

The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on 18 September (11). Glee star Jane Lynch will host.

The main list of nominees is as follows:

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series:

The Colbert Report

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Conan

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Saturday Night Live

Real Time with Bill Maher

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Laura Linney - The Big C

Melissa MCCarthy - Mike & Molly

Martha Plimpton - Raising Hope

Amy Poehler - Parks And Recreation

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Louis C.K. - Louie

Steve Carell - The Office

Matt LeBlanc - Episodes

Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Johnny Galecki - The Big Bang Theory

Outstanding Comedy Series:

The Big Bang Theory

Glee

Modern Family

The Office

Parks and Recreation

30 Rock

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie:

Taraji P. Henson - Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story

Diane Lane - Cinema Verite

Jean Marsh - Upstairs Downstairs

Elizabeth MCGovern - Downton Abbey

Kate Winslet - Mildred Pierce

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie:

Idris Elba - Luther

William Hurt - Too Big To Fail

Greg Kinnear - The Kennedys

Barry Pepper - The Kennedys

Edgar Ramirez - Carlos

Laurence Fishburne - Thurgood

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program:

Tom Bergeron - Dancing With The Stars

Cat Deeley - So You Think You Can Dance

Phil Keoghan - The Amazing Race

Jeff Probst - Survivor

Ryan Seacrest - American Idol

Outstanding Reality Competition:

The Amazing Race

Dancing With The Stars

American Idol

So You Think You Can Dance

Project Runway

Top Chef

Outstanding Drama:

Boardwalk Empire

Dexter

Friday Night Lights

Game of Thrones

The Good Wife

Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama:

Kathy Bates - Harry's Law

Connie Britton - Friday Night Lights

Mireille Enos - The Killing

Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife

Mariska Hargitay - Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama:

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire

Kyle Chandler - Friday Night Lights

Michael C. Hall - Dexter

Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Hugh Laurie - House

Timothy Olyphant - Justified

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie:

Downtown Abbey

The Kennedys

Cinema Verite

Mildred Pierce

Pillars of the Earth

Too Big To Fail.