The next best thing to Golden Globes day is Golden Globes nomination day. And -- drumroll please! -- the 2011 Golden Globe nominations are in.

Did your favorite shows and favorite stars make the cut? We've got instant reactions from the nominees. Are they making jokes? Did they cry? And who's now searching for a missing cufflink for the big night?

Check out quotes from Bryan Cranston, Lea Michele, Alec Baldwin, Eric Stonestreet, Laura Linney and many more, with additional reactions being added throughout the day.

When the 2011 Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning, there were plenty of names conspicuously absent from the list. No love for the final season of 'Lost'? Yet another year of ignoring the fantastic 'Friday Night Lights'? Of course, there were plenty of surprises too. 'The Walking Dead'? Heck yes. Jennifer Love Hewitt ... um, what?

After the jump, our full list of the most egregious snubs and the most interesting surprises. For a list of movie snubs and surprises, head over to Moviefone.

Let's face it: For a television fan, the Golden Globes are a fun diversion, something to help you through your winter doldrums. But in the parlance of television awards, the Globes are a distant second to the Emmys in importance, for a couple of reasons. One is timing; while it's the high season for motion pictures and their awards, the Globes come a couple of months after TV's Emmy and premiere-laden peak period.

But the second reason is that the nomination list is often very silly.

As much as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has tried to buckle down over the last few years and give nominations to people that actually deserved them, there is one or two head-scratchers on the nomination list every year, and this year is no different. A couple of reasons why the Globe nominations always seem to look silly:

There are many enduring mysteries that surround the Golden Globes, starting with "What is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and why won't this mysterious organization make its membership list public?"

Alas, the organization's doings and membership are shrouded in secrecy, and not everyone takes the group seriously, to put it mildly. Thanks to WikiLeaks, we now know more about how high-level diplomacy really works than we do about how and why Globes voters make the choices they make.

All we really know about the Globes is that the group's annual telecast is typically one of the more lively stops on the awards circuit. There aren't that many awards during the program, so it's a relatively zippy affair (unlike the ponderous Emmys). At the Globes, the stars all sit at big tables and, judging by some of the acceptance speeches, the famous people don't mind having a drink or three.

And that's fine with me, but the Globes nomination roster sometimes leaves me in need of alcoholic sustenance. Then again, the doings of most awards-giving groups usually leave me stumped for one reason or another. In fairness, the Globes have usually been more quick to recognize excellent new shows than the sclerotic Academy that gives out the Emmys, but this year's list of Globes nominees induced more head-scratching than usual.

Here's my baker's dozen of Globes Questions, in no particular order:

The usual suspects dominated the 2011 Golden Globe nominations Tuesday morning. Last year's comedy winner, 'Glee,' as well as award favorites 'Modern Family' and 'The Good Wife' earned multiple nods across the television categories.

Many previous nominees and winners -- including 'Mad Men,' Michael C. Hall and Julianna Margulies -- again received accolades from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

But there were surprises and newcomers, as well, such as 'The Big Bang Theory' breaking into the best comedy category and nominations for Piper Perabo for 'Covert Affairs' and Scott Caan for 'Hawaii Five-0.' Two new shows, HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire' and AMC's 'The Walking Dead' broke into the best drama ranks, and actress Katey Sagal received her first nomination (for 'Sons of Anarchy') since 1994.

The Golden Globe nominees for 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards:

Best Drama Series
'Mad Men,' AMC
'The Good Wife,' CBS
'Boardwalk Empire,' HBO
'The Walking Dead,' AMC
'Dexter,' Showtime

Best Comedy Series
'Glee,' Fox
'30 Rock,' NBC
'The Big Bang Theory,' CBS
'Modern Family,' ABC
'The Big C,' Showtime

Golden Globe voters like to be first.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, whose handful of members will announce the Golden Globe nominations Tue., Dec. 14 and award prizes to the winners in a televised ceremony on Jan. 16, are the first major accolades of the awards season.

So Globe voters have a chance to recognize new shows and new talent months before the Emmys do the same.

Unfortunately, this year offers slim pickings for new standout series and performers, so HFPA members may find themselves nominating many familiar faces and titles next Tuesday. Here's how we predict the Golden Globe nominations are likely to play out.