Emmy Nominations Released

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The Mob Rules

The Sopranos Leads Emmy Nominations

July 12 - It was a great day for TV gangsters and goomahs, as HBO's The Sopranos led all prime-time shows with 22 Emmy nominations.

Once again, The West Wing had a strong showing, with 18 nominations. Last year, the NBC White House series picked up the Best Drama trophy among its nine honors - a record high.

Those shows will face off in the competition for Best Drama against NBC's ER and Law & Order, and ABC's The Practice.

The nominees were announced by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences this morning in Los Angeles.

Old Favorites Do Well

Historically, a high percentage of Emmy nominees remain darlings of the voters year after year, and this year was no exception. The Sopranos got a whopping 18 nominations last year, but were rubbed out in the awards ceremony, taking home only a single Emmy - James Gandolfini's Best Acting trophy.

Gandolfini was nominated for a Best Actor award once again, and his on-screen, long-suffering wife - Edie Falco - is up for Best Actress. After three seasons, the HBO gangster drama still captivates legions of devoted fans, who now know the difference between a "goomah" (mistress) and a "cugine" (underling).

Gandolfini shares his category with Rob Lowe and Martin Sheen of The West Wing, Dennis Franz of NYPD Blue, and Andre Braugher for Gideon's Crossing, which is no longer on the air.

CBS's popular new crime series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation gets noticed in the Best Actress category, with Marg Helgenberger nominated for an award. She competes with Falco and her fellow Soprano Lorraine Bracco, Judging Amy's Amy Brenneman and last year's winner, Sela Ward of Once and Again.

The nominees for Best Comedy are Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Malcolm in the Middle, Sex and the City, and Will & Grace - last year's winner.

NBC's Friends, a perennial Emmy nominee, was recognized in the Supporting Actress category with nods for Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston. Robert Downey Jr.'s repeated legal troubles did not taint his reputation among the Emmy voters, giving him a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his stint on Ally McBeal.

The nominating committee also has praises for nostalgia, with the miniseries Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows picking up 13 nominations. HBO's baseball saga *61 earned 12, helping the cable channel lead with 94 nominations, dominating all other networks.

Emmy-Worthy Reality

The Emmy organization is admitting reality TV is too popular to ignore, with several new categories giving programs like Survivor and Temptation Island their first shot at the awards.

Reality shows will be recognized in two categories - one for shows that seek to entertain but don't offer prizes, and one for shows that award their winners.

Survivor's twin installments helped CBS become a ratings giant. The finale of the Australian installment brought in 33.8 million viewers, placing it just behind the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards as the most watched shows of the year.

The series was nominated for an Emmy along with MTV's Road Rules: Maximum Velocity Tour, VH1's Bands on the Run, USA's Eco-Challenge: Borneo, and TLC's Junkyard Wars.

Ellen DeGeneres hosts the awards ceremony Sept. 16 on CBS.

ABCNEWS Radio contributed to this report.

-- (TV@favor.ites), July 13, 2001

Answers

Please, can someone tell me what makes "sex in the city" a comedy? I've watched a few times and have no clue why it is popular. I admit that I just don't get it. Four women motivated only by sex doesn't seem to tickle my funny bone.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), July 13, 2001.

Too wonderful. Celebs throwing bouquets at each other, whose turn is it this year. My only question, why should anybody else care if they give each other awards for doing their jobs... their jobs being providing filler for the real purpose of TV, selling commercials. After all, isn't the purpose of sweep weeks and ratings to determine how high they can bill for commercial time? When was the last time any strangers and industry outsiders watched YOU get an attaboy for doing your job well?

-- CaptainCynical (CA@Big.Yawn), July 13, 2001.

Got to go with you on that, Maria. I don't get "Sex and The City," either. Four whiny, bitchy, selfish New York women isn't a comedy, at least not to me. More like a tragedy.

On a somewhat related note, does anyone here agree with me that the third season of "The Sopranos" did not deserve 22 Emmy nominations? I love the show, but I think it really lost its stride this season.

-- Already Done Happened (oh.yeah@it.did.com), July 15, 2001.


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