BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — Here's a quick quiz: Which of the following TV producers runs a show that's an Emmy nominee, and which doesn't?

"Of course the Emmys are important," said Ryan Murphy of "Glee." "It's always great to be recognized by your peers. There's a certain validation in that."

"Every year when the Emmys are announced, half the stories are about the nominations, and the other half of the stories are about the absurdity of the nominations and the snubs," said Kurt Sutter of "Sons of Anarchy." "So to me, perhaps that suggests that the system is somewhat flawed. And that's all I'll say."

Hey, I never said it was going to be a hard quiz.

Yes, "Glee" is up for 19 Emmys this year.

And "Sons of Anarchy," which is somewhat of a critical darling, isn't up for any Emmys. Which explains not only Sutter's reaction, but the reactions of his fellow producers and the show's stars. Cast member Tommy Flanagan commented, "Emmy-shmemmy" — and offered a single-finger salute.

Ron Perlman and Charlie Hunnam resorted to the use of, um, colorful language that can't be reprinted in a family newspaper.

Did I mention that "Sons of Anarchy" didn't receive any Emmy nominations?

The television industry gathers for "The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards" on Sunday in Hollywood. Well, the members of the industry who got nominated, anyway.

And presiding over the ceremonies will be first-time host Jimmy Fallon, who's there because the Emmys are on NBC. And NBC wants to promote "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon."

"For me, it's a great opportunity for more people to see my type of humor," he said.

But at the same time, Fallon promises he's not going to try to dominate the proceedings. "This is not 'Primetime Jimmy Show,' " he said, promising a fun and humorous evening.

But he also made this curious statement: "Coming from 'Saturday Night Live,' we kind of know how far you can push things."

Right. Because "SNL" never, ever takes anything too far.

"I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable," Fallon insisted. "I want to make people laugh. I want to make the show moving and entertaining. ... It's not really about me. It's more about celebrating television."

And the consensus is that there is a lot to celebrate this year — "a crazy good year for TV," in Fallon's words.

Not only were ratings up, but a number of very good new shows premiered in the past year — and a number of those received nominations.

Shows like "Modern Family," "The Pacific," "The Good Wife," "Nurse Jackie" and, of course, "Glee."

Along with returning Emmy faves like "Mad Men," "Dexter," "Friday Night Lights," "Breaking Bad" and "Lost."

"This has been such an incredible year of television," said John Shaffner, chairman and CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "I'm just so proud of the work of what the artists and my colleagues across the board are doing in the television world right now. The Emmys this year are really going to be a celebration of great work."

In Utah, the biggest change to this year's Emmycast is that they'll be telecast live. For the first time in at least three decades, there will be no one-hour tape delay.

On the West Coast, the Emmys will air live from 5-8 p.m. and then repeat 8-11 p.m, which puts more pressure than ever on the producers to do everything in their power to make sure the show ends on time.

"We try and bring the show off the air on time. ... If you can keep it going and keep it tight and keep it moving, it just makes for a better experience all the way around," said executive producer Don Mischer.

But it won't be easy.

"We are giving 27 awards out — more awards per act than any other show on television," Mischer pointed out.

As for Fallon, he figures it's not his problem.

"I don't worry at all. I just let them worry about it," he said. "(Mischer) stresses out about that.

"As a fan of the Emmys and a fan of awards shows in general, you just want them to move along. You just want to keep them moving and keep it fast and tight."

Well, that would be a first for the Emmys.

If you watch ...

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What: The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

When: Sunday, 6 p.m.

Channel: NBC/Ch. 5

e-mail: pierce@desnews.com

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