Justin Timberlake, "Conchords," "Idol" Score Emmy Nominations

Nominees for 2009's Emmy Awards were announced today, and among the countless nods for 30 Rock, Mad Men and the entire HBO programming schedule, Justin Timberlake managed to grab three nominations. Timberlake's work as guest host for the Saturday Night Live was recognized in the Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series category, while JT also picked up a pair of nods in the Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics for his hilarious SNL digital short "Motherlover" and his "I Live Sports" song from the 2008 ESPY Awards. Timberlake previously won an Emmy in the category for 2007's "Dick in a Box."

Other musical notables include HBO's Flight of the Conchords, with Jemaine Clement scoring an Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series nod — a longshot considering he's facing against 30 Rock's Alec Baldwin and The Office's Steve Carell — while Conchords itself was also nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series as well as Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics for their Season 2 highlight "Carol Brown." Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger was also among the nominees, grabbing a Music And Lyrics nod for "Much Worse Things" from Stephen Colbert's A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All.

And then there's American Idol, which received too many technical and directing nominations to list. However, in the bigger categories, AI secured yet another Outstanding Reality - Competition Program nod (perhaps the magnetism of Adam Lambert will finally allow AI to win the category after losing six consecutive years to The Amazing Race), while re-signed host Ryan Seacrest garnered a nomination in the Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program category for the second consecutive year. For the full list of nominees, check out the Emmy Website.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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