'Sopranos' Hit Right Key For Emmy
The Sopranos and The West Wing each received a leading 18 Emmy nominations Thursday, setting up a showdown between television's favorite mob boss and the chief executive.
HBO's drama about a mobster battling the feds, his family and a nervous breakdown, and NBC's behind-the-scenes look at the White House will compete for best dramatic series honors and in most of the major acting categories at the 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
Other top contenders are the TV movies RKO 281, about Orson Welles' making of the classic Citizen Kane,which received 13 bids, and Annie, which garnered 12 nominations.
The TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and the sitcom Will & Grace also were among top contenders with 11 nominations apiece.
NBC, with 97 nominations, was the leading network, followed by HBO with 86, ABC with 64, CBS with 41 and Fox with 26.
The nominations were announced by Edie Falco of The Sopranos, last year's winner in the best dramatic actress category and again a nominee, and by Michael Badalucco of The Practice. He also has a chance of winning again in the best supporting dramatic actor category.
Other drama series bids went to ER, Law & Order and last year's winner, The Practice.
In addition to Will & Grace, comedy series nominees include Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friends and Sex and the City.
Last year's comedy winner, Ally McBeal, failed to make the category and received only three nominations.
In a bittersweet note, Nancy Marchand, who died in June, received a best supporting actress bid for her role as mob mom Livia Soprano in The Sopranos.
The West Wing also drew nominations for five of its cast members including Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet) as best dramatic actor, and Stockard Channing (Bartlet's physician-wife) for supporting actress.
Sheen will be competing with James Gandolfini of The Sopranos, along with Dennis Franz of NYPD Blue and Sam Waterston and Jerry Orbach, both of Law & Order.
Joining Falco in the lead dramatic actress category are Lorraine Bracco, also of The Sopranos, Amy Brenneman of Judging Amy, Sela Ward of Once and Again and former ER cast member Julianna Margulies.
Comedy lead actor nominees include Michael J. Fox of Spin City, who stepped away from the sitcom because of his battle against Parkinson's disease. Other nominees are Kelsey Grammer of Frasier, John Lithgow of 3rd Rock From the Sun, Eric McCormack of Will & Grace and Ray Romano Everybody Loves Raymond.
Among comedy series lead actresses, nominees are Jenna Elfman of Dharma & Greg, Patricia Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond, Jane Kaczmarek of Malcolm in the Middle, Debra Messing of Will Grace and Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City.
Along with RKO 281, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and Annie, the TV movie category includes Tuesdays With Morrie and If These Walls Could Talk 2.
Best miniseries nominees are Arabian Nights, The Beach Boys: An American Family, The Corner, Jesus and P.T Barnum.
Nominees for comedy supporting actress include Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow of Friends, Kim Cattrall of Sex and the City, Megan Mullally of Will & Grace and Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond.
Their male counterparts are Peter Boyle and Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond, Sean Hayes of Will & Grace, Peter MacNicol of Ally McBeal and David Hyde Pierce of Frasier.
Nominations for supporting dramatic actress went to Channing and The West Wing castmate Allison Janney, Tyne Daley of Judging Amy, Holland Taylor of The Practice and Marchand.
Two West Wing actors, Richard Schiff and John Spencer, will compete for dramatic supporting actor with Badalucco, Dominic Chianese and Steve Harris of The Practice.
Mary Murphy, senior writer for TV Guide, said there were some surprise in those who were not nominated, most notably Gillian Anderson of The X-Files and Dylan McDermott of The Practice.
She said the favorite this year is The West Wing but the Emmy probably will go to The Sopranos because the academy "is always a year behind."
Her pick for best comedy? "I'd say the clear favorite is Frasier because it always wins."
The best dramatic actor category will see a close battle between Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, Murphy predicts, but newcomer Sela Ward is the clear favorite among dramatic actresses.
"I think she's done an outstanding job and kind of elevated the whole arena for women this year, " Murphy said.
Fox is the sentimental favorite in the comedy actor's category. "It's probably a lock for him and probably should be," Murphy said. The favorite among comedy actresses is Sarah Jessica Parker.
Pointing out that many good shows are overlooked because academy members are afraid of them, Murphy said, "The only good thing is this year they're opening up the nomination process. And once they open this up, you might begin to see some of these shows like Oz, or even some of the younger shows like Buffy"
Nominees will face a revised judging system. In a bid to energize the awards, the academy is dispensing with blue-ribbon voting panels that required a weekend spent viewing tapes at a hotel and tended to draw older academy members.
Instead, judges will be allowed to watch the nominated shows on their own.
The academy is experimenting with the approach in the top categories that are part of the Emmy broadcast. Las year, the show drew its lowest ratings since 1990.
"You may see programs win that traditionally have been seen as too avant garde or too edgy for the academy," said academy president James B. Chabin. "What we're trying to do is throw the doors open and bring in a new generation."
The Sept. 10 awards ceremony will air on ABC with actor-comedian Garry Shandling as host. Executive producer Don Mischer said the show will emphasize comedy.
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