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MT. EMMY: To reach the pinnacle -- or, in this case, a golden Emmy -- wrap yourself in raves and pack lots of buzz. This week’s altitude readings are by Greg Braxton, Maria Elena Fernandez, Elena Howe and Tom O’Neil.

PEAKING

DUELING ROLES: As great as Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin was on “Saturday Night Live,” don’t look for an Emmy nod -- the individual performance in a variety, music or comedy program category got the boot. The good news? She still has “30 Rock.”

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CLIMBING

TRAVELIN’ MAN: At the show’s start, “Lost’s” Josh Holloway seemed stuck on one note. But a little time travel can be good for the soul. As 1970s-era Jim LaFleur, Holloway is sexy, tough, sweet and in charge. Is it getting warm in here?

FORGIVE AND FORGET: Katherine Heigl, she of the grumbling over her lack of Emmy-worthy material last year, is seeking a supporting actress nod this year after her “Grey’s Anatomy” character’s bout with cancer. She won in 2007.

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AT BASE CAMP

THE SPOILER SPOT: Most memorable TV deaths? Dying by braid on “Big Love,” dying by nosebleed on “Prison Break,” dying by falling into a ditch on “Lost” and the possible deaths by brain tumor and getting hit by a bus on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

OH, SAY CAN YOU ‘CSI’? William Petersen never received an acting nomination during the nine years he starred in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” But would voters dare pass over his replacement, Tony-winning Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne?

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LOOKING FOR A SHERPA

MIXED MESSAGE: In a highlight reel of its comedies at a presentation to advertisers and media in New York last month, NBC included a clip of “My Name Is Earl,” the Jason Lee-starring show it had canceled days earlier.

JUST A SCRATCH: So someone claimed he was head-butted by Kiefer Sutherland? With all the fighting skills Sutherland must have picked up as Jack Bauer, we think anyone who gets head-butted by him is getting off easy!

LENO’S LOSSES: Can Jay Leno break his streak of Emmy snubs with his last “Tonight Show” season? Since taking over the show in 1992, he’s won only once -- in 1995 -- and was last nommed for the show in 2005.