‘Desperate,’ ‘Lost,’ ‘Ugly’ and thrilled

In an industry awash in awards and resentments, there’s nothing like a fresh round of nominations to heal old wounds and create new ones.

In the healing category, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. restored ABC’s twin powerhouses “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” to prominence on Thursday by bestowing a best series nomination on each show in the drama and comedy categories, respectively. The two popular shows had been noticeably left out of last summer’s Emmy nominations.

Of the 10 nominations in the best drama and comedy series categories, ABC claimed four -- the most of any network -- thanks also to its new award stalwart “Grey’s Anatomy” and newcomer “Ugly Betty.”

“We’re thrilled with all our nominations,” said ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson, a vocal critic of the Emmys’ perceived snubs of his shows. About ABC’s Globe nominees, McPherson said that they are all “fantastic shows and deserved to be recognized.”

In addition to “Ugly Betty,” the foreign press group continued to live up to its tradition of highlighting new shows. “Big Love,” HBO’s tale about a polygamous family in the suburbs, and “Heroes,” NBC’s “X-Men”-like serial about the next rung in human evolution, both won nominations for best dramatic series.

“ ‘Heroes’ was the big tent pole in entertainment this fall,” said NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly. “It’s a cast of mostly fresh faces, and I’m thrilled that it’s being acknowledged.”

As in years past, HBO garnered the most Globe nominations overall, with 14. The pay cable channel’s “Elizabeth I,” “Tsunami, the Aftermath” and “Mrs. Harris” accounted for nine. However, its onetime critical darling “The Sopranos” took a solitary nomination for Edie Falco, who plays the Mafia don’s wife.

Meanwhile, cable’s Showtime performed well, collecting six nominations. Its pot-smoking black comedy “Weeds” had four nominations, while its miniseries “Sleeper Cell: American Terror” and newcomer “Dexter” each received nominations in the acting categories.

NBC’s Thursday night comedy block scored a major triumph in the category of best actor in a television comedy or musical, capturing four of the five nominations. Alec Baldwin of “30 Rock,” Zach Braff of “Scrubs,” Jason Lee of “My Name Is Earl” and last year’s Golden Globe winner Steve Carell of “The Office” all were recognized. The fifth nominee in the category was Tony Shalhoub in USA Network’s “Monk.”

Fox and AMC registered three nominations each. Fox’s “24” received nods for best drama and best actor for Kiefer Sutherland. Hugh Laurie of Fox’s “House” took a nomination for best actor. All of AMC’s nominations came courtesy of its surprising ratings performer “Broken Trail,” a western miniseries starring Robert Duvall.

On the losing end, CBS, America’s most-watched network, apparently isn’t watched by much of the Hollywood foreign press. It managed to scrape up just one nomination: Julia Louis-Dreyfus for best actress in a musical or comedy in “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Louis-Dreyfus won the Emmy earlier this year for her role as a divorced single mother.

Still, CBS fared better than FX, whose “Nip/Tuck,” which won previously in the best drama category, was shut out. The network’s acclaimed shows “The Shield” and “Rescue Me” were also ignored.

The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards will air on NBC on Jan. 15.

martin.miller@latimes.com