This year the Creative Arts ceremony for the Emmy Awards may be as exciting as the main ceremony with a ton of interesting categories with big stars. The Creative Arts Emmys will be presented Saturday, August 21 and Conan O'Brien could be the big winner.

For the first time, the award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series will be moved to the Creative Arts Emmys. Conan's version of The Tonight Show is nominated against Real Time with Bill Maher, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. While The Daily Show has won six of the last nine years, Conan could still come out on top as his writing staff won in 2007 for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

But Conan is the only big category at this year's ceremony. The Reality Show Host Emmy will also be presented, with Jeff Probst, Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron, Phil Keoghan and Heidi Klum doing battle.

However, the big awards of the night will most likely be for Guest Actor and Actress in a Drama and Comedy Series. Here are the nominees in those four categories:

Guest Actor in a Drama
Gregory Itzin, 24
Beau Bridges, The Closer
Ted Danson, Damages
John Lithgow, Dexter
Dylan Baker, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Robert Morse, Mad Men

-I truly loved all seven of these performances, and if Zach Gilford actually got a nomination for Friday Night Lights like he deserved, this might be close. But Lithgow was so brilliantly terrifying as the Trinity Killer that I don't see any chance of him losing.

Guest Actress in a Drama
Mary Kay Place, Big Love
Sissy Spacek, Big Love
Shirley Jones, The Cleaner
Lily Tomlin, Damages
Ann-Margaret, Law and Order: SVU
Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost

-It's obvious this is a category for more mature women since Mitchell, at 40, is the only one under 60. Despite the impressive resumes of these ladies (collectively they have 10 Oscar nominations and 30 Emmy nominations), I have to give the edge to Tomlin, who already has four Emmys for her comedy work.

Guest Actor in a Comedy
Will Arnett, 30 Rock
Jon Hamm, 30 Rock
Neil Patrick Harris, Glee
Mike O'Malley, Glee
Fred Willard, Modern Family
Eli Wallach, Nurse Jackie

-There are a lot of good choices here, and even though he's not that funny on the show, my vote goes to Mike O'Malley for playing Kurt's dad on Glee and creating one of the most heart-warming characters on TV.

Guest Actress in a Comedy
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Kristin Chenoweth, Glee
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
Betty White, Saturday Night Live
Jane Lynch, Two and a Half Men

-Despite being for guest actors, Fey, Stritch and Joosten have all won this award before for the same shows. However, this is the year of Betty White, and I suspect that even the star power of Kristin Chenoweth in Glee can't stop Betty from winning.


Who are you rooting for at this year's Creative Arts Emmys?


(Image courtesy of NBC)