Yesterday, (July 17) the Emmy nominations were announced and though HBO still got the most nominations overall, there were a few surprises amongst the expansive list of nominees. In what was long overdue, Michael C. Hall received a best lead actor nomination for Dexter, and in a (pleasantly) surprising turn of events, AMC’s Mad Men received a heady 16 nominations, including a coveted best series nod. Also, in the Outstanding Music and Lyrics category Sarah Silverman received a nom for her genuinely hilarious song “I’m Fucking Matt Damon”, as did Flight of The Conchords for their little dittys, “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)” and “Inner City Pressure”.

AMC’s “Mad Men”, a sleek drama set in the world of 1960s advertising, and FX’s “Damages”, a complex legal drama, made Emmy history by becoming the first basic cable shows to receive best-series nominations.

The critically acclaimed “Mad Men” received 16 nominations overall, just behind the hauls of the HBO miniseries “John Adams” (23 nominations) and the NBC comedy “30 Rock” (17 nominations, the most ever for a comedy).

In fact, half the nominees for best drama were from cable with Showtime’s “Dexter,” the absorbing crime series, joining “Mad Men” and “Damages.” The network shows in the field are ABC’s “Lost” and “Boston Legal,” which remains inexplicably popular with Emmy voters, and Fox’s “House.” (There are usually five nominees in each category but a number this year had six.)

In the best comedy field, “30 Rock” was joined by HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Entourage,” NBC’s “The Office” and CBS’s “Two And A Half Men,” network TV’s most-watched sitcom. [Mercury News]

View the complete list of nominations here. The Emmys will be broadcast September 21 on ABC.

In honor of Mad Men’s big Emmy nomination haul, I’m giving away a copy of Mad Men: Music from the Series, Vol 1. Just send an email to contests@bumpershine.com and tell me the name of your favorite actor on Mad Men. And for those of you who didn’t know already, season 2 of Mad Men premieres on AMC on July 27.

Mad Men: Music from the Series, Vol 1 tracklisting after the jump.

Mad Men: Music from the Series, Vol 1
On the Street Where You Live – Vic Damone
Volare – The McGuire Sisters
Lipstick – David Carbonara
P. S. I Love You – Bobby Vinton
Botch-a-Me – Rosemary Clooney
Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) – Julie London
Caravan – Gordon Jenkins
Manhattan – Ella Fitzgerald
I Can Dream, Can’t I? – The Andrews Sisters
Shangri-La – Robert Maxwell
Babylon – David Carbonara
Mad Men Suite – David Carbonara
A Beautiful Mine – Aceyalone & RJD2