In the wee hours of the morning (on the west coast anyway), the nominations for the 2012 Primetime Emmy’s were announced. As usual the list included some happy surprises, some ludicrous choices and even a few head scratchers.

The Flickcast favorites Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad both got some solid recognition in the Drama categories, while some of our Comedy favs, Community and Parks & Recreation, got snubbed for the most part.

Not listed in the main nominations list, because it is oddly not apart of the main Emmy broadcast, was the Outstanding Animated Series category. Both Bob’s Burgers and American Dad shockingly were recognized for their awesomeness, but the incumbent Futurama should be the odds on favorite to win. Oddly South Park, who lately have dominated this category, is absent.

Speaking of incumbent winners who extra-deserve the award again this year, Peter Dinklage thankfully was recognized for the second year in a row. In season one he was a bad ass, in season two he was downright epic. If there is any justice he becomes a two-time winner in September.

Check out the full list of nominees after the jump, and be sure to hop on the comments and register your biggest snubs and surprises!

There’s no doubt that this year has been a pretty impressive year for dramatic TV. Between True Blood, Game of Thrones, and Boardwalk Empire, HBO has managed to be on of the top networks to deliver quality content throughout the entire year.

So why wouldn’t they want to celebrate that fact with a killer supercut of their 2011 successes. From clips of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, How to Make it in America, and plenty others, there are more than enough classic TV moments to tie together.

So why not feed into the joy of the network and take a look at their 2011 Image Spot after the jump, and see what they have to offer in 2012, including the highly anticipated sequel season to Game of Thrones.

Over the weekend, I rewatched the 1967 Bedazzled, which, if you’re unfamiliar, features Dudley Moore and Peter Cook retelling the story of Faust, or at least using it as a springboard for a series of satirical skits. The movie itself isn’t really laugh-out-loud funny, but, as satire, it’s one of the best takes on the 1960s that aims and strikes at so any targets, it’s at once counter-cultural and conservative.

Cook’s generally regarded as the finest British satirist of the latter half of the 20^th Century, and after the film, I hopped onto YouTube to look up an old episode of the British Whose Line Is It Anyway? where Cook guest starred. Cook isn’t bad in it, but improv and satire are two distinct types of comedy, and Cook, being out of his element, plays it a bit too broad, trying to get laughs from funny voices and silly expressions.

It’s a trend you see when an older comic is asked to partake in something new that they’re not used to and is something I see now and then in Curb. It’s also the first thought that occurred to me when, tonight, Larry was paired with the overly effeminate son of his girlfriend.

I don’t know if Judge Horn was actually a real show, but I really wish it were. According to Larry, he’s a real judge, so it may not be the Perry-Mason-style show I was hoping it to be (and more likely to be a Judge-Judy kind of show), but damn, how great would that be? Especially if it were in black and white and really did feature Judge Horn yelling at the defense for not having their stuff together.

Likewise, I don’t know if Larry David was the one who dreamed up the brilliant fictional movies that peppered the Seinfeld universe (Chunnel and Firestorm being my personal favorites), but if he ever gets tired of Curb and wants a new project, in a perfect world, he could bring those gems to the screen (how many people would cheer at the line, “Everybody out of the Chunnel!”?).

Okay, okay, I get it—Larry’s “juicin’” (is this actually a legitimate term for taking Viagra?), and that upsets his girlfriend because they’re at the Baseball Hall of Fame. I still don’t quite buy it, and you have to admit it’s pretty shoehorned in (would a woman who’s so sexually charged that she’ll sleep with Larry Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Rosie O’Donnell Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday really have a problem with one of her partners taking medication—especially when she reaps the benefits?), but it’s nice to know that Curb cares.

There’s a few parts of the story that don’t really fit (was there a point to Larry adamantly refusing to be friends with, uh, Dougenstein? If there was, I’ve already forgotten it)—and what’s up with Rosie O’Donnell’s tan?—but the humor more than makes up for any faults.

This is totally the “Larry in New York” episode I’ve been waiting for, and it gives me an appreciation for the sense of location with which the episode, and the series as a whole, has. I’ve been to New York, and while I’m no expert, there’s a vibe to it that Curb captured beautifully: the cramped feeling, the recycled red brick apartments, the semi-elegant trendiness. I probably won’t be able to score some V from a Charlton Heston lookalike getting his ear grazed on by a sexy blonde in the park, but it feels right.