Dark horses and desperate wives

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” has adultery, murder and suicide. But that’s kid’s stuff compared to the show’s new off-screen mystery: Where’s Eva Longoria?

When the 2005 Golden Globe nominations were announced Monday morning, “Desperate Housewives” racked up five nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., more than any other TV program. Three nods for best actress in a television musical or comedy went to leads Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman, and there was a supporting actress nomination for Nicollette Sheridan, who plays the neighborhood temptress.

In the tally of Globe nominations, “Housewives” propelled once-moribund ABC to second place, behind HBO’s 20 but well ahead of NBC, Fox or CBS, which drew six, three and two nominations, respectively.

But voters bestowed no laurels on the “Desperate Housewives” ensemble’s fourth principal, the 29-year-old Longoria, who portrays a pampered hottie having a fling with her teenage lawn boy.

“I think we’re all a little surprised” by the Longoria shutout, Sheridan said. “I think she’s extremely talented.”

“Horrible,” Hatcher said of the snub. Alluding to Longoria’s relative youth, she added: “Maybe they just decided to nominate actresses over 40.” (Hatcher is 40, one year younger than Sheridan; Huffman and Cross are both 42.)

Were the foreign journalists who vote on the Globes put off by Longoria’s steamy trysts with her school-age gardener? Not likely. Cross and others close to the show theorized that Longoria might have sunk her chances by failing to join her costars at a Globe-sponsored luncheon back in October.

Her publicist said the starlet spent that weekend traveling to Texas to visit a sick aunt, who later died.

“She doesn’t regret not going to the lunch at all, because she was very close to her aunt,” said spokeswoman Liza Anderson. She said Longoria was working and unavailable for comment Monday, but added: “She’s beyond thrilled for her co-workers and friends.”

Some observers were surprised by “Housewives’ ” appearance in the comedy category, which is typically reserved for half-hour series. But as Marc Cherry, executive producer of “Desperate Housewives,” said, “The problem with our show is that we’re truly a dramedy.

“We have comedy and we have drama, and neither [category] is a perfect fit.”

The “Housewives” intrigue wasn’t the only Globe surprise Monday. TV insiders were also talking about HBO’s showbiz comedy “Entourage,” which hasn’t delivered large ratings but picked up two nominations. That included a nod for actor Jeremy Piven, who plays an ethically challenged agent.

“Entourage” likely benefited from the fact that network comedies are struggling this season.

Despite the nominations for “Entourage” and “The Sopranos” and HBO films such as “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” other HBO dramas -- “The Wire” and “Six Feet Under” -- were left off the list.

HBO Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Albrecht said such disparities resulted in mixed feelings. “You’re grateful and proud of the work that got recognized, and surprised and disappointed at the things that didn’t.”

“Entourage” faces some unusual competition in the “best television series -- musical or comedy” category. One of its rivals, HBO’s “Sex and the City,” has already ended its run. Another, Fox’s “Arrested Development,” has struggled again this fall even after winning the Emmy for best comedy in September (the category also includes NBC’s “Will & Grace” as well as “Housewives”).

Fox remains hopeful that “Arrested” can turn the corner.

“Hopefully, the more people talk about the show, the more people will come to the show,” Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman said.

With its nominations for “Housewives” and the desert-island thriller “Lost” (cited in the best drama category), ABC was clearly a big winner. It was just the latest breakthrough for a network that was written off as recently as September.

The Globe nominations are “terrific for everyone here,” ABC boss Stephen McPherson said.

But for the most part, the Globes again belonged to cable, and especially HBO. The pay network even gained a nomination for “Deadwood” villain Ian McShane, who curiously was not nominated for an Emmy earlier this year despite his widely acclaimed performance.

McShane learned of the nomination while driving to work on “Deadwood’s” set near Santa Clarita. “Luckily, I avoided running into Magic Mountain,” the actor said.

Among basic cable networks, FX led with six nominations -- twice as many as last year. Its plastic-surgery drama “Nip/Tuck” was nominated for best drama for the second time, as was the series’ lead actress, Joely Richardson, and Julian McMahon drew a nomination for lead actor. Jamie Foxx also was nominated for his role in “Redemption,” an FX original movie.

“This is not just a moment of arrival for us,” said FX President John Landgraf.

“I hope it’s a midpoint in our growth and development. It’s true that we have been trailblazers with putting complicated, conflicted male characters on our network, but that’s only the beginning. We hope to become a network that is also known for its female roles and shows and high-quality miniseries and movies.”

Times staff writer Maria Elena Fernandez contributed to this report.