OH, THE PAIN OF IT ALL

Poor ABC. Of its 41 Emmy nominations last week (alongside NBC’s 124 and CBS’ 75), only 10 were for the so-called creative (acting, writing, direction) categories. If it weren’t for “Heartsounds,” which starred James Garner and Mary Tyler Moore, ABC wouldn’t have three of those (for best drama/comedy special and for best actor and actress in limited series). Elsewhere, the network had to be content with nods for makeup, costuming, hair styling, lighting. . . .

Asked about ABC’s shaky performance, a network publicist noted, “We haven’t made an official comment yet--and we probably won’t be doing so.” Pressed further, he added, “The Emmys are important. They have a certain relative value, but they don’t really have that much to do with day-to-day operations. What we’re trying to concentrate on is getting some successful shows.”

It’s unusually awkward because ABC will telecast the awards Sept. 22.