Farrah Fawcett, Justin Timberlake Among Notable Emmy Nominations

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Farrah Fawcett and Justin Timberlake are among the 2009 Emmy nominees
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Michael J. Fox at the ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Cure Parkinson’s’ benefit in NY
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Tina Fey poses with her award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘30 Rock’ in the press room at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
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Funnywoman Sarah Silverman speaks during the ‘Saint John of Las Vegas’ Q & A on June 10, 2009 in Las Vegas

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FIRST PUBLISHED: July 16, 2009 11:54 AM EDT
LAST UPDATED: July 16, 2009 12:18 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

As the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced on Thursday, a number of nominations garnered special attention.

“Farrah’s Story,” the NBC documentary on Farrah Fawcett’s battle with cancer, was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Special – an honor coming just weeks after the “Charlie’s Angels” star’s death from the disease. Farrah earned three previous Emmy nominations during her acting career.

She’s competing in the category with another star fighting against an illness, Michael J. Fox, nominated for his special, “Michael J. Fox: Adventures Of An Incurable Optimist.” The special features a look at the nature of happiness, even in the face of Fox’s Parkinson’s disease, which he’s suffered from for seven years. Michael’s also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role on FX’s “Rescue Me.”

On the lighter side, Fox’s “Family Guy” was nominated for Best Comedy – a category that “The Simpsons,” television’s longest-running animated series, has tried to break into for decades. The last animated series to be nominated in the category was “The Flintstones” in 1961.

Singer and frequent “Saturday Night Live” guest Justin Timberlake was nominated for his first acting Emmy, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his latest stint as an “SNL” host – in addition to receiving a second Creative Arts Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for re-teaming with Andy Samberg on the show for the song “Motherlover.” Justin previously won a Creative Arts Emmy for his “SNL” digital short “D-ck in a Box.”

And another raunchy comedian, Sarah Silverman, was nominated for her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her show, “The Sarah Silverman Program.”

And “SNL” alum Tina Fey, who’s become an Emmy queen with NBC’s “30 Rock,” earned a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her much-loved appearance as a look-alike Governor Sarah Palin on the variety show. Tina also picked up her expected nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for “30 Rock,” a category she won last year.

In the Guest Actress category, Tina will be facing off with “Marley & Me” star Jennifer Aniston, who proved she’s still “Friends” with the small screen with a nomination for her appearance on Tina’s own “30 Rock.”

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