Tina Fey’s 30 Rock set to sweep the Emmy awards

Tina Fey, the comedian whose Sarah Palin impressions gained her international recognition during last year's US presidential campaign, is set to sweep this year's Emmy awards after receiving a record-breaking 22 nominations for the sitcom she created and writes, 30 Rock.

They include best comedy series, best actress for Fey, best actor for co-star Alec Baldwin and a best guest actress nod for a cameo by Jennifer Aniston along with a clutch of writing and directing nominations.
 
The NBC show, which airs in Britain on digital channel Five USA, is now being compared to another NBC comedy classic, Frasier. During its 11-year run, Frasier,  which made household names of Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce, won the best comedy Emmy for five years in a row, while 30 Rock has won the last two Emmys for best comedy and is now angling for a third.

This year it is up against the likes of HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Entourage and Fox’s animated comedy Family Guy.
 
The haul of nominations cap off an already impressive year for Fey who won the best actress Golden Globe in January for the series, which is set backstage at a late-night network show. 30 Rock's nominations shatters its own record of 17 nominations for a comedy series, which it set last year.
 
As well as being the main writer on the show, Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer of a fictional TV show that is loosely based on her time at sketch show Saturday Night Live. Accepting her Golden Globe, the actress acknowledged she had already had a stellar year, saying: "I want you to know that I really know how very lucky I am to have the year that I've had this year."
 
Meanwhile British actor Hugh Laurie is up for best actor in a drama, nominated for lead role in the medical series House. The critically acclaimed drama Mad Men, which is set in a 1960s New York advertising agency, received 16 nominations while Saturday Night Live appears in 13 categories. The Emmy awards ceremony will take place on September 20 in Los Angeles. ·