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As the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tries to whittle the submissions down to actual nominees, it's interesting to take a look at who has made it to the semifinals. It's not a nomination, but it's one step away. Today comes word of the finalists for best comedy actress and best supporting drama actor. There are some surprises.

Chief among those for me is Sarah Silverman. I honestly hadn't even considered her in the running. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like that she is being considered for the simple fact that the base the nominees are drawn from can always use some expansion. And if she is the most surprising inclusion, the most surprising snub just might be Teri Hatcher. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman all made the cut, but not Hatcher. Ouch. The rest of the finalists, and the supporting actors from a drama, after the jump.

Ugly Betty definitely avoided the sophomore slump, but something was missing from the show's post-strike episodes. Elements that made the first season great were left out of the second part of season two. Fortunately, Ugly Betty only needs to make some small changes to return to its former glory. Feel free to add your own suggestions to my list.

Bring Cliff back - It's nice to see Marc do something besides taunt Betty or do Wili's bidding. Season one's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" proved that Marc has a heart, and his relationship with Cliff continued to explore that sensitive side. Marc found love by looking beyond surface beauty, which is what the show is all about. The post-strike episodes favored Betty's love triangle at the expense of the other characters' relationships. Why have so many well-written relationships if you're only going to focus on one or two? The fantastic ensemble cast had better get more screen time in season three.

(S02E17) Wili's moment of triumph arrived, and it was just as glorious as I expected it to be. La Slater is officially back at Mode as Creative Director, and all is right with the Ugly Betty world. This episode was all about couples. Hilda pursued Coach Diaz, Gio pursued Betty, and Marc and Amanda did what they do best--torture Betty. The "Betty Whorez" e-mail was one of those small Mode moments that I haven't seen in a while.
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(S02E16) Things are finally coming into place on Ugly Betty. Wili officially declared war on the Meades, Betty dealt with serious baby drama, and Hilda got back into the dating game (almost). If this keeps up, the show will be back to its old self--Wili scheming, Betty working with Daniel against her, and an end to the Suarez family mourning period. Sounds good to me!
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(S02E15) You can add "glamourtunity" and "preg-nasty" to the Ugly Betty lexicon. While this episode gave us some cute moments and clever dialogue, I felt like it was light on plot. Yes, we got Renee's storyline out of the way, but the rest of it was build-up to the season's bigger issues. I'm ready for things to start happening.

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(S02E14) That look says it all, doesn't it? Betty spent part of her birthday with fellow dreamer Gio, and came home to Henry with a lot on her mind. The reappearance of Charlie reminded us that Henry's baby is coming soon. There's a difficult decision in Betty's future. Who will she choose, Henry or Gio?

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It's a shame that the Golden Globes ceremony was cancelled in a year when so many talented comedic actresses received nominations. For the first time since 2004, the category of Best Actress in a Television Musical or Comedy includes none of the Desperate Housewives cast. The housewives have dominated the category over the past few years, and their absence has made room for some fresh faces in 2008.

I couldn't be happier that this category looks more competitive than ever. The fact that I had so much trouble predicting a winner is a very good sign. I'm also pleased that each nominee represents a different style of comedy--and there's not a cranky suburban wife or over-the-top diva to be found. The five characters that these ladies play are likeable, genuine, and hilarious.

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(S02E08) There have been a lot of sad episodes of Ugly Betty this season, and this week was no exception. Don't let the above photo fool you; the wacky antics were few and far between. For the most part, "I See Me, I.C.U." dealt with the fallout from the disastrous Meade-Slater wedding. Guest star Mo'Nique (as the cleverly named L'Amanda) did her best to lighten the mood, though.

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In the world of digital image manipulation there are two types of Photoshop users: those who use it like an artist uses a brush, and those who use it like a 1st grader uses glue to paste cutouts on a worksheet. In today's lesson, we'll be talking about the 1st grader.

Take a look at the image of Ugly Betty's America Ferrera from the cover of October's Glamour magazine. Many reports are saying that America's head has been sloppily pasted to a thinner woman's body. From the most recent image of America on the left, it certainly looks like a digital imaging hash job. The head seems a bit off kilter. And, take a look at her neck. Isn't it just a tad thinner and longer than we are used to seeing?

The first season finale of ABC's Ugly Betty left us wondering if Bradford would really marry Wilhelmina, if Henry is the father of Charlie's baby, if almost half the cast was dead or not, and so much more. This very good finale had a lot of TV fans speculating all summer. Speculate no more as we have gathered for you a series of spoilers that will reveal the fate of most characters and what is in store for them.

Spoilers ahead!

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• I feel like a bad person for saying this... but the American Idol finale would be more exciting without Melinda Doolittle.
  
• Ugly Betty's America Ferrera just had her smile insured for ten million dollars.
  
• Maria Shriver says she's done with TV for good, because of the media's coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith drama.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this podcast via our feed.

(S01E19) This episode we found Daniel Meade reverting back to his old womanizing, irresponsible ways, but did he really ever change? Last thing I remember, he was bedding [fill-in-the-blank-random-model]. Oh, but this time he bedded the wrong random model, didn't he? Eh, I guess that counts as personal change.

While Daniel worked on spreading his genes, Betty, as usual, worked on keeping Mode together and chasing down her boss. Is it just me or is Betty's true secret love really Daniel? She's constantly stalking him, keeping tabs on who he's sleeping with (or not), and treats him like he can't pee without her holding his goods.

I'm probably one of the few Ugly Betty watchers who thought that America Ferrera looked cute in her Betty getup from day one. But it seems as if Betty Suarez has been slowly de-uglifying ever since. Many of our readers have noticed that America is noticeably slimmer than she was when the show started. But I've also noticed that her hair (is it a wig?) isn't as much of a shaggy mop as it has been, her clothes aren't as loud (still frumpy, but not as silly), and her brace-face isn't quite as prominent.

All this may be in an effort to shape the character -- in other countries' versions of the show, Betty eventually goes through a transformation into a gorgeous woman. At the very least, it may be showing that Betty's time at Mode might be rubbing off on her in small ways. But, according to TV Guide's Mike Ausiello, some of the changes might be coming from Ferrera's reps, as he reported in a blind item today. In other words, he doesn't mention the name of the show, but most of the commenters seem to think he's talking about Betty.

I think that at this point we can probably say that the two breakout stars of the 2006-2007 television season are America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Masi Oka (Heroes). And for Masi, that is starting to pay dividends. From The Hollywood Reporter comes word that he is in talks for a gig in the Robert Luketic film 21.

Based on the Ben Mezrich book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions," the movie will also star Jim Sturgess.

The book tells the story of the MIT Blackjack Team. Organized by a former math instructor, and backed by anonymous investors, the team used a system of card counting, disguises, and secret signals to take Vegas for nearly $4 million before they were found out.

Well, looking back at my list from last year, Festivus Frank didn't give me anything I asked for, did he? He especially dropped the ball on the whole Sarah Chalke phone number thing, considering she got engaged a few weeks ago. But, undaunted, I'm going to give him my list for 2006, because I'm always a glass-half-full kind of guy during this time of the year:

An Emmy nomination for How I Met Your Mother: It would be great if both the show and its actors got nominated, but I don't care if it only gets a nomination in one category; it deserves the recognition. After being shut out of the Golden Globes, I realized that no one seems to be noticing that the show is rapidly becoming one of the best comedies on television. This is similar to what happened with Scrubs during its first three seasons, and I'd like to see the Academy catch up to HIMYM sooner than that. Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, and the show itself all deserve nominations. Hopefully, Craig and Carter will sumbit "Slap Bet" to the Academy voters; that should get their attention...