Heroes in Top 10 of Emmy Semi-Finalists?

Every year, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chooses a select list of TV series and the actors and crews working on those shows to bestow Emmy Award nominations to. This year, the big question for Heroes fans is: “Will Heroes be nominated”? According to the L.A. Times — YES! (But they caution that this is by no means an exact science, so, you know the drill, take it as rumor.) So what does this mean? It means that of all the dramatic shows that were seen by Emmy members, Heroes survived to be included in their Top 10, from which only the Top 5 vote getters will be officially nominated.

Here’s how the full voting system works for those of you who are curious (via the LA Times):

The top 10 shows reaping the most votes for best drama and comedy series from a polling of members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences are being screened by judges this weekend at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the academy’s North Hollywood headquarters. ATAS has not announced which series are being screened, but judges dispatched Blackberry and text-message reports to TheEnvelope.com from the panel viewings.

Screenings will continue this week in Los Angeles plus a location in New York City. Judges must view all 10 contenders in one category and rank them against each other. To determine the final 5 nominees, accountants then use the same voting method used on “Dancing with the Stars” — combining judges’ scores equally on a 50/50 basis with results of the original popular vote.

The voting procedure is new. Last year judges’ scores alone determined the final five per category. The current method is also being used to determine the final five nominees in the acting races. However, those judges — all fellow actors deciding a peer-group award — may view DVD screeners at home, then send in a final ballot with a signed affidavit attesting that they watched all sample episodes (one per contender).

So which shows will Heroes be competing against? Here’s the full list of the Top 10: (In parenthesis is name of sample episode viewed by judges)

Boston Legal (”Angel of Death”)
Dexter (”Born Free”)
Friday Night Lights (Pilot)
Grey’s Anatomy (”From A Whisper to A Scream”)
Heroes (”Genesis”)
House (”Half-wit”)
Lost (”Through the Looking Glass”)
Rome (”De Patre Vostro”)
The Sopranos (”Soprano Home Movies”)
24 (”Day 6: 6 a.m. - 7 a.m.”)

We’ll all find out if Heroes made it into the Top 5 on July 19, when the nominees for the 2007 Emmy Awards are officially announced.